Blue Bird
by Shyro Foxfeather
Summary: Tsubasa Chronicle - AU, After being forced on a vacation by the ever-loving princess Tomoyo, Kurogane is caught up in a maelstrom of misfortune and misunderstanding as he ventures into a cold town and meets an even colder dragon.
1. Part 1

**Title:** Blue Bird

**Part:** 1

**Author:** ShyroFox

**Rating: **PG-13

**Pairings:** KuroganexFai (TSU), DoumekixWatanuki (XXX), SyaoranxSakura (CCS),

**Warnings: **Dragon AU, Evil Ashura,

**Disclaimer:** Copyright CLAMP

**Summary:** AU, After being forced on a vacation by the ever-loving princess Tomoyo, Kurogane is caught up in a maelstrom of misfortune and misunderstanding as he ventures into a cold town and meets an even colder dragon.

**Note:** This is currently being written for NaNoWriMo, and while I don't exactly _not_ edit my work (as you are supposed to) I haven't gone over the entirety of it with red ink, so any errors, mistakes, or potentially "out of character" characters will be fixed if anyone feels the need to point them out. Anyone offering services as beta-reader would be appreciated. Thank you!

-------

_His mother had once said, "Town people are often paranoid." _

And yet, actually encountering it was something entirely different.

Sure, he wasn't the friendliest visitor they had ever had, he wasn't trying to be, but the cold treatment the villagers wore, as though it were entwined into the fabric of their clothing, disturbed Kurogane immensely. This may have very well explained why, despite the town having wove a quicker path to the city, most travelers avoided it in favor of a longer trip.

The only people to look upon him with something other than distaste were the merchants. And this was perhaps more a curse than a blessing.

"So, business or travel?" Asked the tavern keeper as he poured a drink mix into the cup.

"How do you even know that I'm from out of town?" Kurogane said, shedding his coat and resting the dripping mess over the back of the chair. He adjusted his sword, but left it hanging at his side. The shop was empty save for him and the keeper. His insistence on Kurogane coming in out of the cold must have been purely because it was such a slow day.

"Ha. Shouldn't it be obvious? I've never seen you before. All our main customers frequent here quite often and yet here you are, a new face." The man grinned as he poured a slew of heated milk and bitter water into the cup, handing it over at a finish.

The cup burned and the warm drink steamed and Kurogane was never as grateful for such an object. His frozen hands beginning to de-thaw against the curve of the fancy mug.

The rain continued to cascade outside the doorway, shading everything outside the window in a sea of endless grey blurs. Kurogane absentmindedly noticed a puddle had gathered underneath his drying coat. "So what season is it here? What sect is this?"

The man chuckled as he began to clean cups from a pile gathered at the sink. "Well we're heading rapidly into what looks like the cold season, even though the harvest is still supposed to be taking place. Surprisingly it's only sect eight. We should have another sect and a half before weather like this! Ah, but, what can you do…"

The abrupt, annoying cheer of the bell hanging on the door preceded the entrance of two youths. The boy trying furiously to keep a coat stabilized over the girl of which he was protecting from the rain. He, himself, was completely and ridiculously soaked.

"Sato! Please get inside here or you will catch your death!" She screeched, yanking the unwilling boy into the building. Kurogane winced and attempted to glare off the intruders of his peace. They had yet to notice him, however.

"I highly doubt you even know what you're talking about. If I don't do this I very well think you'll wash right away." The boy snipped, dripping as he walked inside, shook his coat out and hung it on a chair.

The girl bounced up to the counter as the boy stubbornly followed. "Two orders of warm sweet milk please?" She asked, sitting at the counter.

"Hey! You never asked me if I wanted-"

"I am paying for the drinks and I am not letting you get some freezing juice drink, as you predictably would."

"…Yeah, whatever." He said, begrudgingly submitting to her whims as he pulled a chair back and flounced down in it. Notably not the chair he had draped his coat over.

"Ah… I see you are as spry as ever Nekoi." The keeper said, pulling the drinks up. "That will be ninety-two then."

The girl dug into her pouch and pulled out a medley of coins. Placing them down on the counter, a stricken look crossed her face. "I'm twenty short…" She said, eyebrows knit in distress. She eyed the boy next to her, who quickly obtained a look of obstinate panic.

"I've no money on me! That's why you're buying the stupid drinks." He barked, warding off her advances as if she were a ghoul.

"Ahh… Nekoi, you know we don't allow tabs here…" The keeper said, wringing his hands.

A hand placed down two coins on the counter. "Count that in with her pay. She's short you nothing." Kurogane demanded, directing the amount to the man. Nekoi and the boy looked at him with muted awe. Was kindness like that such a rarity in this town? How utterly obscene. He just wanted them to leave as soon as possible.

Nekoi eyed him a moment. "Thank you." She said. "However, this will mean that I owe you." She said, hands dutifully crossed.

"I never asked for you to owe me anything!" He yelped, taken aback by the comment. Not one to be so normally giving, he wasn't going to regret doing so. Or, at least, he hoped he wouldn't. "I just came from a job, so it's not really any problem." Honestly he had merely wanted the girl to shut up. Instead he had caused the sheer opposite.

Kurogane thought that over a second… Indeed, it was still utterly obscene.

"Well, it can't be helped." She almost sighed. "Ryuuoh and I will just have to repay you, isn't that right, _Ryuuoh_?" She nearly sung his name, the piercing gaze of a predator turned on the poor boy. He glared back at her stubbornly.

However, the keeper ruined the moment and placed a mug of fresh, warm milk in front of him.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He muttered fiddling with the newly acquired hot drink. With the introduction of the warmth of the building and the sweet milk, he had actually gained some color.

Kurogane sniffed indignantly. "I will have you know that whatever services you are trying to offer, they are entirely unneeded." He sipped his drink as resentfully as he could.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" She asked, tugging the irritated Ryuuoh along with her. "We could offer you free room and board!"

"_Beware strangers bearing gifts." His father had taught him. The way of a warrior was one of caution._

"I do." He lied. "I'm staying at the inn in the main square." Kurogane had barely scraped the edge of the town, but the main square always seemed to have inns. Despite it being expensive, and vaguely implausible for him to be staying there, it was his best bet to not end up looking like an idiot.

The girl looked skeptical and the boy choked on his milk. "Well…" She sighed, "If you like 'em like **that**, then I suppose there's no stopping you." She dramatically swept her drink up and drank it down whole. "Alright, Ryuuoh." She placed the cup down hurriedly. "Let's go!"

"Hey, I haven't finished my-!" The rest of his words cut off by a coat being hurled into his face.

"We're _going_." She urged, dragging the struggling boy out of the tavern.

Kurogane sunk in his chair, glad for the silence, but dreading whatever it is that he had apparently told them.

"So…" The keep looked at him with the gleaming eyes of someone in the know. "You're joining the men's brothel I take it?"

"No! Of course not!" Kurogane yelped. Is that what those kids had thought he was? A common whore? No wonder they had left so fast!

"Well, you could always stay at the inn above here. It's run by my son. And you get discounts on all the fine wines, too, since they are made right here in this city and not imported like in most towns!"

Ah, business in action. "Sure, that's fine." Kurogane slumped in his chair. How much of an ass could he make of himself before this day was over?

---

As night fell the tavern was filled with drunkards and business folk alike. All generally enjoying the warmth only provided by sweet, sweet alcohol. It wasn't really all that surprising, as rats do gather in gutters when the rains fall.

It was enough to make Kurogane regret ever coming down here. He would have just gone back if all the noise hadn't given him a headache. Why sleep when you _can't_, and all that.

Replacing the old man from earlier was a suave looking brunette semi-attempting to charm some of the girls at the counter. It looked like he was rather uninterested in them, but fawning women always tend to come back for eye candy… or something like that.

Despite how empty the room was before, it now bustled with people and chatter, and young girls serving drinks. Frankly, Kurogane wondered how people enjoyed this tipsy lifestyle.

"Hey." Kurogane barked at the new keep.

A different, grey-haired boy appeared, flipping open his order notebook. "Hello, new guest! My name is Yukito. And how may I serve you today, sir?"

"Ah, a large keynet." Something bitter to wash out this headache…

The youth paused. "Are you sure? That may run quite expensive, as it is imported. Our specialty here is fine wines and they come at a much cheaper price."

"Fine then. Whatever you have that's bitter. Mascroi or something, I don't care." He muttered, resisting the urge to clutch at his head. The noise in the room did him little good, but showing such a sign of weakness was careless.

"Alright. That will come to a total of eighty-six." He looked at Kurogane expectantly.

No tab system here _at all_ then? Oh well. "Sure, here." He put down a hundred coin.

Handing back the change, the boy smiled and wandered off to put the order in for someone to collect the drink.

"Shit, the Mayor's not thinking straight at all now is he?" Growled a man at a nearby table. "Idiot doesn't know how to run a proper town! If I was Mayor I would be ten times better than that old fool!" Kurogane glance over at a nearby table that was full of men in farmer's garb.

The man next to him shrugged. "He's a fear runner. You get him startled and he'll chase his own tail for security!"

"That's about right! Couldn't have said it better myself." The first man said, patting his friend on the back.

A third, bulkier man approached and grabbed the first by his collar. "Oi, what are you doin' criticizing our beloved Mayor like that? I think he's got a right mind about him!" Kurogane smirked at the scene. People were so easily motivated to bicker…

The first smirked and stood. "Yeah, well you would Matsui. You always were a bitter person when it came to respectin' people different than you!"

"People? People, he says!" Cried the man to his fellows at another table. The replied with whoops and hollers. "Those things are people?! They're beasts! Horrible, smelly beasts."

The scene Kurogane was watching was abruptly interrupted by a girl stepping in front of him.

"Here's your drink, sir!" She smiled, handing him a curved glass of a blue liquid. "It's pierote wash. It's supposed to be one of the more bitter drinks we serve here. I hope it is to your liking." She bowed. "My name is Sakura, don't hesitate to ask Yuki or I for anything you need!" With that she scurried off, presumably to serve the other guests.

The two men from earlier were now engaged in a small fight. The first holding the latter in a headlock. "You take that back, you ass!" He ordered, tightening his arm in emphasis.

"Get off, Baron! You're too damn nice for your own good an' you damn well know it! Your own mother was killed, for gods' sake!" Matsui growled, yanking the man's arm off him.

Baron crossed his arms, turning away. "At least she believed in giving them a chance. Men kill men more than dragons do."

Kurogane blinked, wondering if the man was serious or if that was merely an expression. As far as he knew, dragons had been extinct for the last nine generations.

"Ha! You're both just a couple pansies." Another shouted from a table in the back.

"You come here and say that to my face!" Matsui yelled.

It didn't take great skills of perception to see what was about to happen. Kurogane sipped the bitter drink and cringed. Maybe next time he'd just order what he was familiar with… Ah well, it did kill his headache after all.

A chair flew across the room. "Called it." Kurogane muttered. He gulped down the rest of the concoction and stood to leave. The room began to fill with men fighting and the breaking of furniture.

Walking back to his room would have been easier without the abrupt grab of his arm from some riled drunkard, however. "Where are ya goin', sir! You can't insult my mother like that and just get away with it." He garbled, swaggering.

Kurogane's eye twitched. Damn nuisance's invading his space! No use arguing with someone this delusional. Kurogane knocked the man's arm off oh him and shoved him back. The man stumbled. "Hey! Hey, you can't just do that! You filthy cheater!"

"Yeah, sure." He waved the man off and turned to leave.

An explosion, a crash, and the screaming of a girl struck the room.

Kurogane turned sharply. The entire room began to slow down as all the men and barmaids peered over each other to see what had happened. The man named Baron lay on the ground, blood pooling around him. "Bastard shot me!" He yelped as a maid began hurriedly dabbing at the blood with a cloth.

"If would just keep yer filthy mouth shut you wouldn't have to get the crap beaten out of you every week, you old fool!" Cackled a man as he carelessly twirled the gun around in his hand.

The girl from earlier, Sakura, nervously approached him. "Ahh… Sir, the rules of this tavern don't permit guns and you have already had three violations. You'll have to leave." He leered down at her, she seemed mouse-like against his feline ferocity.

"And where's your brother, girl? Isn't he supposed to make all the big, bad bullies go away? Jen is quite bitter she's been banned from here herself, after all!" She screamed as he grabbed her arm and yanked her up off her feet.

A hand clamped around his wrist and the man, surprised, dropped Sakura. "You heard her. Get out before you hurt yourself." Kurogane ordered, a tone that held no chance of debate on the matter.

"Who the hell are you to be telling' me what to do! I have a gun you know!" He snarled. "I'll shoot yer face in and your mother'll never be able to recognize ya!"

The blunt blade of a broke off his breath and he fell gasping. Kurogane frowned re-sheathing his sword. "I don't really care what you have to say, but I will kill you don't listen to _me_."

The dark haired tavern keep from earlier rushed up through the crowd. "Sakura! Are you alright? I thought I told you to come get me or Yuki immediately if something like this were to happen." He frowned. "Kanil, get out of here or I'll report you to the Council." He ordered.

The man, still gasping, stood up. "Yeah… You're goin' to regret this. I'll take all your business from you." He turned to Kurogane. "And hell if I know who you are but you better watch your back! I have more men in my league than you've met in your lifetime!" He staggered over to his awaiting group. "And you bastards! How about helping me next time something like that happens!"

The door swung shut behind them.

Sakura pouted down at the brunette poking at her sprained ankle. "Touya, I could've handled it without you!"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm so very _sure _that you could have." He turned to the grey-haired boy from earlier. "Hey, Yuki, calm down our guests and have Chii try to catch up on drinks. It might also be a good idea to send Motoyo to get some of the other girls to come in tonight. Sakura's out."

"But Touya!" She stopped at his reproachful glare.

He yanked her up into his arms. "Are you taking her home?" Yuki asked, nonchalantly.

"Of course. Dad will make sure she gets some proper care there. And I'm sure as soon as the brat hears about all this he'll come running, too." Touya seemed to just notice Kurogane. "Oh, and thanks for all that by the way."

Kurogane sniffed. "No problem."

Yuki smiled. "We offer free board for those you break up serious fights."

"I've already paid for a room here."

"Then a refund, perhaps?"

---

A good fight always preceded a good night's rest. Or a paranoid night's rest. Either way, rest was to be had.

"Good morning, sir. I hear that you had an eventful night." The tavern keeper said, chuckling. "You've made my son quite paranoid about ever letting my daughter work the night shift again."

"…I'm sorry?" He asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Oh no, don't be that. It's a good thing you saved her, after all." He pulled out a little pad of paper. "Is there anything I can get you? On the house, of course."

Kurogane frowned. He wasn't low on money, so taking this man's seemed rather criminal. "No, that's alright. I'm going to eat else where."

"Ah. Seeing the city, huh? Have fun!" He called as Kurogane left the inn.

---

He wandered down the street in search of some type of restaurant. The skies were devoid of clouds today and thus the rain had let up. Small muddy puddles littered the road and a few small children giggled as they attempted to avoid getting wet.

A gust of frigid wind wafted down the street. Kurogane blinked out the smoke in his eyes and resisted the urge to cough. It was the cold season and everyone was burning fires to keep their homes warm. At least, in this district. Being in the outer ring of the city, many people lacked the new technologies prevalent in the center ring.

"Peacemakers wanted!" Cried a young boy dressed in official garb as he passed Kurogane. "Peacemakers wanted!" He turned back looking at Kurogane. "You look really strong, sir! You should try out for being a peacemaker!"

"A what now?" He grumbled.

The boy smiled. "I was told to pass out these fliers! Here, you can have one. A free loaf of bread for anyone who tries out. Not a bad deal, huh?" He said handing Kurogane a flier.

"Hey, you!" Cried a woman with a broom. "I thought I told you not to come by here! Leave your propaganda for the other rings, we don't want any."

"It's not my fault you old timers are behind on the ways of the world." The boy remarked, as if reciting the words of another, running off as the woman swung the broom at him again.

The woman looked at Kurogane, as if noticing him for the very first time. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just… that boy makes me so mad sometimes!" She stormed off fuming.

The other villagers on the street abruptly stopped watching the show and went back to what they had previously been doing. Kurogane rubbed his head in exasperation. _"Some travel would be good for you!" _Tomoyo had said. Yeah, load him down with money and then ship him off, eh? What bull.

---

Kurogane sat in the town square, eating his meal with staunch disregard to the pleased expressions of the fellow diners. Everyone was too damn happy in this part of town. Royalty and wealthy merchants alike. None of them were anywhere near as noble and gracious as Tomoyo.

If he were working he wouldn't be caught dead in an uppity place like this. However, since he was supposed to be on _vacation_ he'd at least eat at a place that likely wouldn't get him diseased. The inn he was at was a rare find and he vaguely regretted turning down breakfast there…

A young man knocked on his shoulder.

"Hello! Would it be alright if I were to sit with you for a moment?" Clear eyes gleamed at him, and he immediately smelled a rat.

"Why would I let you do that?" He questioned, irritated that the man had paid no attention to him and had sat down across from him nonetheless.

"For I am already sitting here! You do not go around making a habit of parting people from their chairs, do you?" The man grinned and leaned over on his elbows. Short charcoal strands of hair waving in the wind sat jaggedly on his head. His face was framed with thick eyebrows and a cunning smile. "My name is Shiyuu. What's your's?"

Kurogane glared. "I'm not telling you that. Now get out of here!" He barked, waving his hand in a irritated motion. How dare this man just come in here and interrupt his meal with no regard to his opinion on the matter. He had claimed this table as his, damnit!

"Or what? You don't seem like the type to call security. And you certainly know proper table etiquette. You're a mysterious mystery, you are. Like a royal warrior."

Kurogane paused. Then a grin broke out on his face. "You have no idea what trouble you could get yourself into by messing with me."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure you've killed lots of men." Shiyuu stated, waving it off as though it were a petty annoyance.

Kurogane jolted forward, "I've done no such thing!"

Suddenly, a boy with mousy brown hair and a disheveled suit ran past the table and down the small set of stairs. He had been gripping some clinking, shiny item close to chest. When the kid had disappeared from sight down the cobblestone road, a woman's scream split the restaurant chatter into curious silence.

Shiyuu stood. "And that, my friend, is my cue. Good day!" And with that he jumped the low railing and swiftly followed after the dark-haired boy.

Kurogane debated chasing after the man and small boy, obviously thieves, but it really wasn't his place. After all, places like these arrested those that tried to be heroic. It was one of those backwards laws of high society. He'd learned that best being the one sent to catch such people.

---

Somewhat unconcerned with the witness of thievery, he made his way back to the inn.

When he arrived he was promptly greeted by the tavern keeper. "Did you have a good breakfast?" He asked cheerfully, as he skillfully chopped up a head of lettuce into a pile of green leaves.

"Sure." Kurogane grunted, removing his coat. The warmth of the room was too much for such overkill.

One of the day maids walked up to him. "Sir, you have a man waiting for you. It's that gentlemen in the corner." She informed him, pointing to a well-dressed fellow sipping something pink.

Kurogane grunted and walked over to the man. He had striking silver hair and was wearing a ridiculously dark suit. The man sipped at the frilly concoction a moment before taking notice of Kurogane's silent presence. "And you are?" He asked, grinning radiantly.

"Well, you're apparently waiting for me. I would hope that _you_ would know who I am." He said, as he crossed his arms. "This had better be important."

The man stood abruptly, placing his hands together. "Ohh! Indeed it is!" He cooed, slipping on his coat and abandoning his cup on the table. "The Mayor wishes to speak personally to your very person and who are we to let that wish go unanswered. I'm Mouton, and I'll be your assistant in travel until we get there." He said, adjusting the hat on his head.

He grabbed at Kurogane's arm and the red-eyed man dodged the move. "Wait, wait, wait." He said, standing ground. "You are not leading me anywhere without a decent explanation." He barked, cracking his knuckles in emphasis.

Mouton faltered. "It pays well." He supplied helplessly.

A smirk appeared on Kurogane's face. "And who has told you that I am in need of money, eh?"

The previously exuberant man seemed to take on a nervous posture. "Well, no one said that, no. Indeed, no one did. It's just that you have been monitored upon your entrance here and the Mayor believes that you may be the right person to ask in his mission for… justice."

Kurogane frowned. Justice was usually an overly glorious way to refer to revenge. "I'm not an assassin for hire, if that's what you're looking for." He took a step back. "And I don't just knock off people for political gain either."

The silver-haired man waved his hands nervously. "No, no, no. You aren't being asked to assassinate people. No! You are being asked to be a peacemaker! Bring glory and bounty to your homeland by completing peacemaker duties!" The man made another grab for his arm.

Kurogane dodged Mouton and shoved him off. "Fine. If you insist that I must speak directly to the Mayor, then I will. I'm not agreeing to anything other than that. And you," he poked the man in the forehead, "are not to touch me. Got it?"

"Certainly!" Nodded Mouton, or as Kurogane dubbed, the puppet master's lapdog.

---

The town hall stood with oversized pillars that represented justice, peace, love, and glory. To Kurogane it only reminded him, with bitterness, how lavishly the rich spent their money while the poor starved.

"_Mockingbird, mockingbird, two in a shell. Born together they'll die as well…"_

Mouton led him into the building with hurried footsteps, as if he might be swallowed up by the outside world if his feet didn't quicken enough. "You know," the man said, delight evident in his face, "this building has a rich history in our culture."

Kurogane sighed, but the cheery fellow was oblivious to the disinterest.

"Before our current Mayor Ashura, we had the great Clow II. Days were much more peaceful, then. But, I believe that our Mayor Ashura is handling everything as best he can. He is a good man that way. Always tries his hardest!"

"At what?" Kurogane asked, mapping the path they were going in his head, in case this whole deal went sour.

Mouton stared at him. "Excuse me?" He asked, looking rather bewildered.

"What's going on that your Mayor has to try so hard at?"

A glimmer of understanding flickered in the man's eyes. "Oh! Yes, you aren't from around here. I keep forgetting. I just love this city so much that it is hard for me to remember that new-comers don't always understand its internal mechanisms." He slapped a hand to his forehead in emphasis. "You'll learn much more about that when we speak with Mayor Ashura. Although, if you ever want a lesson or a tour on the city I'll be happy to supply you!" He winked as if in promise. "And I'll have you know that I don't offer that kind of service to just anyone!"

Kurogane ignored answering, a large white door at the very end of the hall catching his eyes. It was so gaudy he'd let this man tour him around town if it _wasn't_ the Mayor's office.

Mouton's eyes gleamed as they approached. "And this is our beloved Mayor's office!"

Kurogane smirked to himself in triumph.

"He should be waiting right inside for us to arrive. Luckily, we just have!" And with that, the slender man pushed open the heavy wooden doors.

---

The room was decorated with a sickening deal of care. Flowers glistened in fine vases. Paintings lined up symmetrically on every wall. The deep red carpet sung of power and the glory of office. Everything screamed that a designer had been there. The room effectively pointed you to the its gleaming centerpiece.

A shining desk with papers upon it, but no one behind it.

Mouton paused, as if the mechanics of his mind we're stuck at a standstill. Then a few gears began to turn, without fail. "Well! I… this… most unusual!" He cried, attempting to freeze a smile on his face. He was so transparent it was painful.

The man turned to Kurogane. "Do you think he's gone out?" He asked.

Kurogane blinked. "Why would I know?" He asked.

Mouton shook his head. "No, that's right, you were with me." He strode over to the desk with a small bit of caution. "Perhaps he left a note saying he went out. I'm sure he did. No one informed me of his being out, so he must have not told anyone. What a silly man!" He laughed. Then his expression turned stricken. "Of course, he's not silly. He's quite upstanding. Indeed. That's exactly what he is!" Kurogane watched from the door as he shuffled through the papers on the Mayor's desk.

When Mouton froze, body as unmoving as a statue, Kurogane became a bit curious. When the man's face drained of all color and he became rigid in stance, Kurogane wanted to know why.

Padding over to the table on the overly plush carpet, the new-comer looked apathetically at the man who seemed to be going through several levels of intense shock.

"He's got him…" Mouton said, still staring at the paper.

Kurogane stared.

The city hall official looked at him. "That bastard's got…" He said, voice a faint whisper.

Tired of a ridiculous and uninformative conversation, Kurogane swiped the paper away. Mouton looked as if to protest, but merely watched him read it, instead.

"_Knock me down once,_

_That's not enough._

_Your sharpened edges gain you no ground._

_Bring what we want._

_You know where._

_Love,_

_Your neighbors."_

This told Kurogane absolutely nothing aside from the fact that whoever had written it had poor taste. "Okay. What is this?" He asked the official, exasperated.

"Dragons." Said Mouton, wringing his hands.

"…well, damn." Hadn't expected that.

---

As soon as word got out, the entire building burst into a frenzied panic. Messages were being sent sporadically and some without clear purpose.

Mouton had left to wash his face and regain composure leaving Kurogane to sit like a calm island in the middle of a maelstrom. Now he approached again, little droplets of water clinging to the parts of his hair that he had let get wet with his current carelessness.

The silver-haired, blue-eyed official surveyed the room, then offered a weak smile to Kurogane. "I suppose you would like an explanation, wouldn't you?

Kurogane stood, ignoring the frantic cries from around the room. "Hn." He nodded, remaining calm despite his current irritation. When he had been Tomoyo's guard, he had been as collected as one could possibly be. Ever since he came to this town, however, he began to feel himself slipping.

Mouton frowned and motioned for him to follow as they walked out of the room. "The dragons are acting up right now." He said, as if to begin a difficult and arduous tale. At Kurogane's confused looked, he expounded. "What I mean to say is, a local tribe of dragons is becoming rebellious towards to the town."

"By dragon you mean for me to believe that you are having problems with giant lizards?"

The official stopped abruptly. "You've never seen a dragon, have you?" He asked, mouth held tight.

"I have not."

"Ours can look like that, yes. Mostly, they appear human. You'd not notice if you stumbled upon one. That is why we are having trouble with them. They are infiltrating our city and robbing our citizens."

Kurogane frowned, wondering if this was some type of joke. In the land Tomoyo ruled over, there had been plenty _tales_ of dragons, however it was common knowledge that they were merely stories to make children stay in at night. "What do they intend to do with the stolen goods?" Kurogane asked, humoring the poor man.

Mouton was silent a moment. "They… don't intend to do anything with it. They just… give it back." He straightened, his posture stiff.

Kurogane blinked. That seemed like rather pointless thievery. "…give it back?"

The official seemed to realize that Kurogane was confused. Which, was good, because it was rather blatant by the red-eyed man's pointed expression. "Well, you see," he began, staring at nothing in particular, "they give it back to different people. Kind of like charity for the poor, except with **stolen** goods."

Kurogane stared at the man. He vaguely remembered his mother telling him a fairytale about this sort of thing when he was little. "Huh…"

"Those fiends always pull these stunts!" Mouton groused, hands fisting. Annoyed at himself in general for his inability to really do anything about it.

"…So, can I go now?" Kurogane asked, remembering that he was brought here for something unspecified and now he apparently wasn't going to find out what that was.

"Oh! Not at all! This is the perfect time for _you _to be here!" Mouton declared, looking jovially at Kurogane, as if all his troubles would soon be over.

---

A peacemaker.

It was about being a peacemaker.

Kurogane massaged his temples, walking out of the city hall. He was more than just a little annoyed at the stupidity that was city officials.

A _peacemaker_ was one who took it upon themselves to hunt and kill members of the dragon species. It didn't matter if your target were even only _part_ dragon, the job was still applicable.

Moton had looked rather dejectedly at Kurogane refusing the job out-right. Apparently, being a well-known royal figure's bodyguard meant that you were a mindless killing machine…

Ironically, he probably would have accepted the job five years ago, when he was young and stupid and looking to prove himself, but still…

The cheery bustling of the crowd around him only worsened his mood. None of them knew yet of the disappearance of the Mayor. And unless someone let it slip they probably wouldn't ever know.

He quickened his pace, eager to get back to the inn, where he could shut himself away until he left this town.

The day had been excruciatingly long and rather arduous. If this was a vacation, he'd rather damn well work _any day_.

---

Upon reaching the inn, Kurogane was surprised to find a woman waiting for him. Although, more annoyed then welcomed by the thought. How the hell did all these people find him?

She leaned against the wall next to the door, garbed in a black silk and lace that clung to her body. Black hair tied ornately behind her head. Kurogane felt his manly instincts warn him of such an obvious trap.

She turned and looked at him. And smiled.

Kurogane's initial surprised was met with more surprise as a sharp blow to the head stole him of his consciousness.

---

"Ha! He's so funny looking!" A young voice cried, giggling uncontrollably.

"Mokona, it's not nice to laugh at people behind their back." Chided a mature sounding voice.

"Kyle can't deny it! Mokona knows Kyle thinks it's humorous, too!" The first voice, Mokona, chirped.

Kurogane's head ached. Massively. His eyes were stung by the introduction of light as he attempted to blink his vision into clarity. The edge of everything appeared blurry, as if some one had him looking at the world through three feet of river water. He went to rub at his eyes, only to find himself immobile. His arms felt like they were tightly bound to his side. And he grimaced as he felt his pants damp from sitting on the cold and wet ground.

Through the fog created by his mind he could see a small girl sitting on a stump, probably only nine or ten years of age. She seemed to be wearing a rather silly looking hat that stuck out to the sides in points. An older lad, a young twenty-year-old probably, was tending to a fire. He, too seemed to be wearing the unusual hat.

A drop of water fell from the tree above him and hit him in the nose.

And, damn it all, he sneezed.

The two looked at him, and the younger one laughed loudly. "Woken up, have you?" He looked at Kurogane, an amused gleam in his eyes.

Kurogane blinked rapidly, sight clearing although he felt himself to look ridiculous.

He stared.

The two weren't wearing hats at all. The younger one blinked and laughed at his expression, as if in triumph. The older looked nonplussed. What Kurogane has mistook for hats were **ears**. Strange thin things, like elves. Except much longer, like a rabbit's.

The girl's were light pink and scaled with small plumes of feathers sticking out half-hazard. A single red earring dangled off of one. The older, pony tailed boy's were dark blue, jagged fleshy spikes lining them.

Mokona walked up to Kurogane, boldly interrupting his silence and his thoughts. "So, Mister Hunter, surprised?" She leered.

The former guard stared. "…hunter?" He asked, mind slogging in thought. What the hell had they done to him? He wasn't even like this when he woke up in the morning!

The girl -- dragon? -- snickered. "Wai! So confused." She said, giving little thought to Kurogane's amount of coherence. "Kyle!" She called over the stoic looking youth. "I think Mister Hunter's forgotten who Mister Hunter is!"

Kyle looked up, blinking. "Perhaps we doped him too much…" He muttered, slipping a pad of paper out from an inner coat pocket and scribbling down some notes with a carved bird pen.

Kurogane twitched, irritated. "I haven't forgotten who I am, you idiots!" He yelled, struggling in the ropes to no avail. What the hell were these made out of?

The boy stopped writing on the pad and looked over at him. "Really?" He asked. "You're much more useful to us if you remember. We have some questions to ask of you and it would be quite useful if you remembered the answers."

"Will you let me go if I answer them?" Kurogane itched for freedom, but seeing as he had no clue where they were or how far he was from civilization, it didn't seem a wise plan to escape and wander off. Even if he could.

And who knew how far or fast dragons could travel compared to the speed of a man?

Kyle sighed, "What can I say to that? If I said yes, you may very well kill us upon you're release. If I said no, you may very well not answer the questions at all."

The captive growled. "Then what's my incentive?"

"Probably freedom maybe!" Chirped the girl, batting her eyelashes.

Kurogane shivered, hoping she would never, ever do that again. Ever.

"Ask. Although, I don't guarantee that I'll answer anything." He muttered, irritated at the situation in general. What, was it "get kidnapped by dragons day"?

"I was hoping you would say that." Murmured a voice, as the owner shifted behind him.

Had someone been there the whole time!? Kurogane internally groaned. How out of shape was he if he couldn't even sense someone standing _behind _him?

"Souma!" Chirped the girl liltingly, swaying her feet back and forth from her perch on the stump. "Is Souma the one Fai asked to be the questioner?"

"Interrogator, Mokona-chan." Kyle corrected, looking at Souma expectantly.

Souma shrugged. "He didn't ask so much as hint at it. Which, is as direct as he'll ever be with these types of things."

Kyle nodded and Mokona just grinned blindly. Kurogane grew concerned that he may be surrounded by a troop of idiots…

The woman standing firmly behind him moved into his visage and he was slightly taken aback.

She was beautiful, there was no question about that. Her dark coat fell to her back in tails. She had a strong demeanor, especially with dark branch-like ears with leafy razors curling around her head much like that of a ram. The knife she swiftly placed teasingly at his throat didn't hurt either. He bit back the urge to gulp.

Somewhere in the background he heard Mokona's smothered laughed.

"So, dear sir. What were you ordered to do to us?" She asked, dark eyes narrow and unpitying.

Kurogane glared. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The blade was pressed a little closer. She slowly recited her question, "As a peacemaker, hand-picked by the Mayor, what were you, the hunter, ordered to do to us?"

His nose crinkled with distaste. "I never accepted that job." He replied calmly. "I refused outright. Those idiots wouldn't even tell me what I was doing there until after word was out about the Mayor's kidnapping."

"Liar!" She yelled, blade dipping into his skin ever so slightly. The resulting droplets of blood fell carelessly onto his collar.

"Souma!" Yelped Kyle, grabbing her and pulling her, and the knife, away from Kurogane.

"We caught him! We had followed and we caught him first!" She grumbled, hanging limply from Kyle's restraining arms.

The calm youth looked at Kurogane imploringly. "You must forgive her," he said, "if you are telling the truth, this may be the first time we've ever caught someone entirely innocent." Souma pulled out of his grip and he allowed it, watching her stretch her arms.

She whirled on him. "You felt me up when you did that!"

The boy looked surprised. "I assure you, I didn't." He replied, waving his hands in protest.

Mokona watched the on goings with worried unease. "Mokona will go get Fai-san!" She announced, running off in the directed at Kurogane's back.

Kurogane sniffed indignantly. Souma crouched next to him and poked him in the head. He glared. She glared back.

Kyle laughed, nervously. "It's great to see you two getting along so well!" He said. After a moment's pause, he continued, "Although I'm not sure the interrogator and, uh, captive getting along is a good thing…"

"So you refused being a peacemaker?" She asked, a tone of level conviction present in her voice.

"Outright." He replied.

"Why, exactly, were you brought to the Mayor's office in the first place?"

"I was asked to be a Peacemaker, but the frilly man refused to tell me any of the details of the trip. He said that I was to speak directly to the Mayor himself."

She stared levelly at him. "You realize that we have the Mayor, don't you?"

"I do." He replied firmly.

"So, in the situation that I let you free, what is going to be your plan of action."

"I guess I'll head back to the inn I'm staying at in town." He said, pausing before adding, "…and hope to remain there instead of being swept away by every individual with a misguided thought or dream that needs me for some reason."

She looked off to the distance and sighed, grabbing him by the hair. Kurogane bit back an alarmed yelp as he was brought to his feet by the pull of his captured locks.

"Hyuu!~" A light voice cried, a blonde man wandering up with the small Mokona attached unyieldingly to his side. His ears, trademark of dragons, apparently, curled at his head like song notes. A light feathery skin rippled and fluffed at the touch of the breeze. He was clothed in a long white coat with a furry, ruffled hood and a pair of light blue pants. Kurogane stared and felt a rush of heat hit his face like a plume of fire.

"Fai-san!" Souma jolted, surprised, and released Kurogane's hair.

The blonde man, Fai, grinned lazily. "That was such a cute noise he made! Just like a puppy!"

Kurogane looked at the man dumbfounded, face still heated. Although beautiful in an ethereal sort of way, he looked to be a total airhead. And his arms and body were as slender and long as a young tree. Was **this** their leader?

Fai looked him up and down and he felt himself internally twitching and nervous. The hell was this, some sort of spell? He must have been getting sick from sitting on that damn earth for so long!

"Souma," Fai spoke, not taking his eyes off of Kurogane, "what conclusion have you come to?"

The woman bowed her head a little. "I've yet to properly interrogate him, but I believe that this man is innocent."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to allow his release with only that, are you Fai-san?"

Fai smiled over at the man, who squinted his eyes warily at him. "Of course I am!" He clapped his hands together and waved the met palms back and forth. "Souma is a hard sell. If she has enough faith to trust him then I myself must meet that trust of her."

Kyle's ears twitched in annoyance. "Souma, you have reached a new levels for your ridiculous stunts, but if Fai-san allows it, then I'm not going to argue it."

"Ahhh, Kyle-kun is so mean!" Fai crooned. Souma just shrugged at the pony tailed man's disgruntled expression.

With a swift movement and impressive accuracy, Fai cut the ropes off of Kurogane with, what could be best called, a lazy swipe. The newly freed man flexed his arms in an attempt to ward off the stiffness his joints were complaining of.

Fai grinned at the Kurogane with a lazy smile. "So, if we have mistakenly apprehended you, perhaps we could make nice over a good meal?"

Souma looked at him and Kyle stood rigid and silent. Mokona bounced over to the freed guard and grabbed his hands, swinging him in a short circle. "Hooray! More for merry-making!" She cheered.

---

The dragons had insisted that he accompany them to a meal, carefully making pointed statements that he would not be the one the meal consisted of. It was almost comical.

They had led him to a make-shift camp. Large leather tents covered in dark tarps were assembled around in a circle, five in all. A few old logs were set up around a rock-circled fire. The place had a clinging, heavy scent of earth and smoke. As far as Kurogane could gather, they were in the middle of the nearby forest. How large that forest was he had no idea.

Souma, Fai, and the intricately dressed woman from earlier took charge of the meal. Amongst her fellows, the intricately dressed woman, introduced to him as Yuuko, had no qualms revealing her long, glitteringly dark ears that curled above her head in looming darkness. Small dangling pieces of jewel and jagged, feathery flesh fell silkily from them. She was mysterious and dark and reminding Kurogane more of a wicked witch than a dragon.

They all seemed less dragon-like than his initial idea of them. Instead of fierce, slimy lizards they had thus far appeared only in human form with, or without those strange ears.

Mokona sat primly at his side, feet swaying back and forth as she sat on the smooth log. He was vaguely annoyed that she had taken such a liking to him, for she never seemed to stop actually moving. Feet, hands, or whole body, she was always a bouncy form of hyper and glee.

Fai walked over, a ladle filled with a steamy concoction in his hands. "Any takers?" He asked, whirling the ladle around dangerously.

"Mokona wants to taste!" She chirped jumping up from her seat and bouncing over to Fai. He handed her the ladle and with a single gulp she downed it whole.

Subsequently, he ears turned violently red. "Mokona is on fire!" She squealed, recoiling in mock agony.

"It is hot, Mokona-chan." Chided Fai. "How about asking Ryuuoh for some water?"

"Alright!" She chirped, bounding off into the forest.

Kurogane eyed the blonde dragon warily. "…how many of you _are_ there?"

Fai gave him a sly look. "Is Kuro-chi afraid of being outnumbered?" He cooed.

Kurogane twitched. "What did you call me?" Kyle, sitting on the opposite side of the fire, looked up from his book with mild interest. In the background he swore he heard the witch lady laugh.

"Kuro-ki? Kuro-wan-wan? Kuro-wanko? Kuro-nyan?"

"Stop calling me stupid names, you idiot!" He barked, picking up a moss covered rock and pitching it at the grinning idiot.

"On no! He's gone mad from hunger! Yuuko-chan, Souma-chan, hurry to feed the angry beastling!~" He called, dancing out of the path of the rock.

"The soup will be ready soon." Announced Souma, ignoring the two with ease.

Kurogane sniffed indignantly; he felt himself doing that a lot lately. "Do any of you take your situations seriously at all." He asked, bitterly. "You're the so-called leader and you act like a raving loon!" He said, pointing at Fai.

Fai looked cheerily over at him. "You think I'm a loon?" He asked.

This seemed like a trap. "Yes, you're very much a loon. I can't understand how you have any followers whatsoever." He grumbled, crossing his arms and ignoring Kyle's shocked stare and Yuuko's amused glances.

"Well, I'll have you know right now that I am most certainly not a loon." He stated, swaggering around the campfire. "Loons are a type of bird. And I," at this he looked over at Kurogane wickedly, "am no bird."

Small blue sparks flared from Fai's elegant ears. A magnificent glow spread across his body. Waves of different colors of light flickered playfully on his form. More gentle than one could imagine, his body expanded and elongated. First the melodic sounds of chimes accompanied his lengthening neck. A musical whir foresaw his growing and adjusting legs. A whip like tail glided behind him and gracefully dodged hitting the pot of boiling stew so many feet away. Wings sprouted from the form, ruffled themselves, then rested.

As the transformation ended, Kurogane starred wide-eyed from his position on the ground, where he had fallen from his shock.

A blue and white dragon of scales, fur, and feathers grinned down at him, blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "See? I am no loon!" He cheered, ears waving in tune with the movement of his jaw. Small tinkling sounds, like tiny bells, trilled as he strutted about the camp.

"Fai-san is so cool!" Cheered Mokona, attempting, and succeeding, to clamber onto his polished, scaly backside.

Souma shook her head, staring at Kurogane from the small distance of the where the cooking pot resided. "I hope you cherish this, he doesn't do this very often. He must have some fondness for you."

Kurogane didn't need to ask exactly what it was that he was supposed to cherish. Fai's entire being currently radiated warmth, power, and beauty all in one slender form.

"Awww, Souma-san, you say the sweetest things!" Chirped Fai, floatily walking over to the amused dragon.

"Sweetest things!" Mokona echoed, gripping onto the back of Fai's ears.

Kurogane picked himself up from his sprawled position. "Don't you think that's a little dangerous? You could be spotted a mile away in that form! And the town officials are probably scouring the forests for you since you've kidnapped the Mayor and all..." Kurogane paused. "Where is the Mayor, anyway?"

A grim look slipped across the face of the dragon, but was gone before Kurogane could properly question it. "Oh, it would go against so much code to tell that to a total stranger! Especially, a former captive!" He crooned, head arched to look at him more directly.

Mokona slipped and slid down Fai's neck a little before scrambling back up and regaining her perch behind his ears. Fai's slender wings sat nestled and against his back, and he stretched the lazily before pumping them lightly and sending a breeze across the camp.

Kurogane looked at him with a scowl. "So you aren't going to cook me with your firey breath?" He asked. At Fai's questioning look Kurogane chided himself for his curiosity. "All the legends in my town tend to have dragons that breath fire of some sort."

Fai laughed, "Where would you be from?" He asked.

Kurogane shrugged casually, amazed that he could keep his cool while being faced down by a powerful, albeit gorgeous, beast. "I'm from the north. Winden Country, specifically." He wondered why on earth he had told them that. Maybe there was some magic about dragons that made you want to divulge any answer from your darkest secrets to your childhood memories. Shit, he hoped not.

Fai's canine-like snout bobbed as he nodded. "You're ruled by a King there aren't you? That makes a lot of sense." He told him.

Both paused and the campfire grew silent. Fai plopped onto the ground between the two logs, a tale idly wrapping loosely around a tent.

"Why does that make sense?" Kurogane asked, curiosity gnawing at him and winning.

Kyle looked over at the former guard reproachfully, but without a sense of surprise. "You do not know much about the history of dragons, do you?"

"Well, how could I?" Kurogane sniped. "My country doesn't even know they exist! Or, at least the townspeople don't." Kurogane stopped and abruptly sat, an idea hitting him square in the chest.

Now that he thought about it, this information could be known by some. How much, exactly, was kept from the people of towns and cities that the governments or Kings knew about?

Fai nudged the guard in the cheek and jolted him out of his thoughts.

"You can ignore Kyle." He told him, as Kyle protested the remark in the background. "But, I trust you aren't someone who would abuse the information you may gain here."

Kurogane looked at him blandly. "How do you know I won't?" He asked. "I could walk right back into that town and spill the information on you to the highest bidder if I wanted to..."

Fai grinned, wolfish face too close to Kurogane for his liking. "I have magical dragony powers." He confided solemnly.

Kurogane almost, not quite, but **almost **laughed.

---

Despite not having verified trust in Kurogane amongst all the dragons (since, for example, many hadn't even met him yet), the rest of the night was spent with the six of them telling tales and trading information. Yuuko got very drunk and yet was able to remain as stable as she was sober. Mokona tried to sway the others into sharing their alcohol, and almost did it, but was kept off of it by an irritated and somewhat tipsy Kyle. Fai giggled and floated around in his dragon form (a form he apparently preferred, but was rarely able to get a chance to go into) for most of the night before resigning himself to that of a human form so that he could annoy Kurogane on a closer level. Souma stayed relatively quiet and kept a suspicious eye on the bottle of Cherry's Delight, the only available hard liquor in the camp, as it passed around the group with careless abandon.

Kurogane wondered when exactly he had become a member of their group. Especially since they had initially kidnapped him and had the Mayor held captive somewhere as well. Okay, maybe he wasn't exactly a member, yet. Kyle had made sure that Kurogane remembered that he was merely a guest and nothing else until he met all the dragons in the group and their approval.

He wondered, somewhere in the back of his half-drunk mind, whether or not Tomoyo would approve of this kind of conduct.

And knowing his princess he was sure that she probably would. Stupid royals with their abilities to foresee futures.

Kurogane had discovered various things that night that he was unaware of previously.

Like, for example, that a dragon's wingspan was enormously larger that that displayed in picture books. Although none of the other dragon-turned-humans has taken it upon themselves to transform (and for Mokona this was rather a surprise, since she seemed so enthusiastic for Fai's form) Fai himself had the wings to prove the tales and pictures wrong.

His probably almost hurt himself in the process as well, seeing as the were much larger than the tiny enclosure provided by the trees.

He had also learned that Fai did breath fire. He was apparently not a fire dragon, but according to him any dragon that could fly could potentially breath fire. It was a matter of whether they wanted to or not that dominated the process.

So many new ideas and concepts swirled around in his brain. It was unlike him to just lose his wits and get as sloshed as he had. It was completely unlike him to fall asleep in the middle of the woods with a bunch of dragons who were, but not quite, his friends.

Friendship was hard to gain if a relationship started with a kidnapping, or so he thought.

He absentmindedly wondered if the inn-keeper would worry about him. Or the tavern-keeper. Or the maids. Any of them and their insistence on him having free food for thanks.

He didn't need free things. Tomoyo had loaded him down before he left. He didn't need their help at all.

He didn't need anyone's help. Not his father or mother's. Not his Princess's. Not any of the people he knew. This had been almost a mantra that had stuck with him for a lengthy period of his life.

He lay there, with a blonde head of hair, belonging to a very drunk and very unconscious dragon, resting securely on his chest.

It occurred to him that he had never needed to state before that he didn't need the help of dragons. This was, quite simply because he had never knew that they existed. He decided that he was going to amend this a promptly add them to that list as well.

---

When Kurogane woke up in the morning, he was not surprised to find the leader of the dragons no longer sleeping on top of him. To be honest, that had been quite weird. He did not often sleep with others on top of him, let alone a creature that had enough strength to kill him. And by accident.

Apparently the dragon leader had drank something he wasn't supposed to yesterday morning (although, no one would indulge in explaining further on that note) and was acting outrageous, even for himself. If Souma hadn't told him this, he would've continued to think the dragon just as air-headed as he seemed. Perhaps when he met him again, he would see a serious, concentrated leader that led with a stone solid purpose and noble intentions.

That in of itself was hard to imagine.

He was, however, surprised to find a blanket covering him and heavy two brown eyes not but a foot away, glaring at him.

Kurogane was proud of himself when he stared back instead of leaping in surprise, like his body had wanted to. He was not going to get that drunk for a very, very long time. Why the hell had he in the first place!?

The boy, or dragon (probably), eased his glare as it was being matched against another. He looked to be only twelve or thirteen. Maybe even fifteen. How long did dragons live anyway?

"So you're Kurogane?" He asked, not moving an inch from his crouched position, eyes calculating and stubborn.

Who the hell was he to deny the obvious? "Yes."

The boy's eyes softened a tad further. "I just wanted to..." He started, but trailed off, as if he hadn't thought of what he was going to say next. He looked away from Kurogane, starring quite intensely at some trees. "I want to, y'know..." He shrugged and looked at Kurogane helplessly.

Kurogane looked at him, too hung over and confused for a meeting like this. "No." He said simply. "I don't know."

The boy looked uncomfortable. Then, suddenly he bowed lowly. "I wanted to thank you for helping Sakura at the tavern." He said loudly and quickly, a fierce blush on his young face.

With that, he was up like a shot and ran out of the camp site. Kurogane was surprised the boy didn't kick up any dust and dirt, running at that speed.

"The hell...?" Kurogane muttered, dusting some leaves off of his head. There was a chuckle behind him and he turned to see who it was, irritated with his apparently new lack of being able to sense people nearby.

Souma stared at him. "You broke up a bar fight involving a maid at the inn you were staying at, correct?" She asked.

A part of him wanted to ask why she had said were staying at and not are staying out, but he figured he would find out soon enough. And probably not like it one bit. "Yeah. Was that what that was all about?"

She nodded. "Although he denies it, he is quite fond of that girl you saved. When he wandered in here and saw you, he stayed until you woke up so that he could thank you." She paused. "I don't think he thanks people very often." She stated flatly, staring at the trample flora he had left in his wake.

Kurogane shook his head. Dragons were so damn confusing. If that kid was a dragon…which, he probably was.

Damnit, his head hurt. He didn't deserve this!

"How did he know it was me?"

She looked surprised by the question. "Be your scent, of course." At Kurogane's blank stare she continued. "Well, most likely the girl had your scent on her when she went home so when he came by he recognized that same smell on you."

"...So that kid's a dragon?"

Souma nodded.

"Is the girl a dragon, too?"

Souma shook her head.

"I'm not even going to ask how that relationship is going to work out..."

---


	2. Part 2

**Title:** Blue Bird

**Part:** 1

**Author:** ShyroFox

**Rating:** PG-13

**Pairings:** KuroganexFai (TSU), DoumekixWatanuki (XXX), SyaoranxSakura (CCS),

**Warnings:** Dragon AU, Evil Ashura,

**Disclaimer:** Copyright CLAMP

**Summary:** AU, After being forced on a vacation by the ever-loving princess Tomoyo, Kurogane is caught up in a maelstrom of misfortune and misunderstanding as he ventures into a cold town and meets an even colder dragon.

**Note:** This is currently being written for NaNoWriMo, and while I don't exactly not edit my work (as you are supposed to) I haven't gone over the entirety of it with red ink, so any errors, mistakes, or potentially "out of character" characters will be fixed if anyone feels the need to point them out. Anyone offering services as beta-reader would be appreciated. Thank you!

---

After a small amount of questioning, Kurogane had found out that Fai had wandered off on some little mission. At least, that was as far as Souma or Mokona would tell him. Kyle probably would have been more helpful, but the physician hadn't been seen since dawn.

So, in essence, it probably would have been a better idea to wait at the camp for something to happen or someone to lead him back to town. Instead, he had wandered off into the woods and promptly gotten himself very, very lost.

It was less a stab at freedom then it was just something to do. But the trees all looked quite similar in the area for Kurogane was unfamiliar with the breeds. Some had eight-pointed leaves, some had three, some had spikes. What the hell kind of place was this anyway?

But the empty camp was just so damn boring! How could he have just stayed there? And what would he do? Tinker with stones and twigs all day?

Kurogane trudged through the forest. He swatted away branches and bugs with the irritation only grown from dealing with a continuous and persistent problem. That problem being the forest and the fact that he had no idea where he was in it. There was great possibility that if he could remove the entire forest from existence for only a minute or so, he could perhaps find his way back to civilization. Or some random cabin. Or the camp. Anything really, that wasn't merely trees and wildlife.

He should have been better trained for such a situation, being a guard for Tomoyo-hime and all. But, he could not help but feel that the woods were partially to blame for his blunders. For example, he could not see the sun for all the trees. He could see small glimpses of light here and there, but the beams were so overloaded with tree branch shadows that even telling their direction was difficult. If he could find another clearing this problem would be solved easily. Although it did little to help him seeing that he had no idea what direction he was from the town. Was he taken South? West? The only ones who knew, or so he supposed, were the dragons.

Speaking of which, his initial reason for leaving still remained to be found. Dragons were apparently more elusive than the game Kurogane was used to hunting back in his home country. Not that he wanted to hunt them or anything, but tracking skills are tracking skills no matter who you use them on.

At least now he had a good idea of what skills he desperately needed to improve on. Which, he bitterly wanted to deny, where many in number.

Ripping a branch from its tree, Kurogane flung it in irritation. He was greatly relieved to hear a splash in the direction he had thrown it and was partially surprised it had made it through the thick forest trees. Running through the tall grass and muck he almost cried out in joy over the finding of water.

This meant many happy things for Kurogane. It meant that he could have a good drink and fill up his water skin. It also meant that he could probably find his way easily back to town, for there was only one great body of water in the near forest and that was the Akin River.

Happily, or as happy as he ever got, he drank down large desperate gulps of the refreshing liquid.

And, once more, he was surprised by the unfortunate gaze of someone staring at him.

How the hell did he not notice these things sooner!?

It was a large, dark grey dragon that was resting its body downstream from Kurogane. It shifted its head this way and that, looking him over with a quiet ease.

It rose its long and slender body out of the water. The liquid flowed off of its glimmering scales like it would off the feathers of a swan. Its jagged ears swayed in the breeze and it immediately made Kurogane think of the bird calls he heard in the background.

With a solemn splash the dragon melted away into the water.

And left before him a very disgruntled and very naked Kyle.

"Do you often make a habit of intruding on others during their bathing time?" He asked, wringing his hair up and wrapping it into a ponytail with a band that had previously been tied around his wrist.

Kurogane sputtered and turned away, taken aback by the man's total nonchalance, refusing to look anymore until the man had put on a decent amount of clothing.

Kyle looked at him strangely. "Prude." He muttered, slipping out of the water on Kurogane's side of the bank and shaking the droplets of water off his feet.

"What did you say?" Kurogane barked, looking at him before abruptly realizing that this was what he was trying so very hard no to do.

"I said nothing!" Kyle called back, slipping on his pants. The a curiosity overtook him. "How did you get out here, anyway?" He called. "This is a clear four miles from camp? You aren't stupid enough to wander off on your own in a place you have no familiarity with, are you?"

"I did no such thing!"

"Ha, I can't wait to tell Fai all about this..."

---

"Welcome!" Fai greeted, as they reached camp.

As it turned out that while Kyle could fly with relative ease, he refused to do so for the sake of tormenting Kurogane, or so the man suspected. So the whole length of the trip was filled with subtle taunts and teasing and Kurogane would be the first to blame Kyle for the entire, miserable time.

Although he had found out that Kyle was a storm dragon, and that his bathing was for the express purpose of regenerating his water concentration, much like that of a rain cloud. This was amongst the taunting and teasing, of course.

Kurogane looked gruffly back at Fai. "Where were you?" He asked, eyeing him suspiciously, noticing that the leader looked a far cry calmer and than he had the previous day. What the hell had that guy eaten?

Kurogane made a very resolute vow to himself not to eat anything suspicious in nature he found in the forest.

The blonde blinked at him innocently. "I was escorting Yuuko-san back to her encampment." He stated, as if it should have been obvious.

"Isn't she a part of your group?"

Fai shook his head. "No, no, no. She is much too elegant to live with us ruffians all the time!" With that Mokona cheered an agreement. Kurogane frowned, maybe he was just an idiot after all.

"That's the truth." Kyle said was mild bitterness, shaking the some straggling droplets from his hair.

Fai looked between the two questioningly. "Did Kurogane join you for your bath, Kyle?" Fai asked, eyebrow raised. His expression was almost a leer.

"Well," Kyle sighed, like he were exasperated, "he tried to, but I just couldn't allow it." He shook his head as if he were a chiding parent.

Souma stared. "Did Kyle of all people just say that?"

Kyle stared at her out of one eye. Souma stared more nobly with two.

Fai clapped a hand on Kurogane's should distracting him from the on goings of their bickering. "Are they always like this?" He asked. Kyle hadn't seemed this type of person yesterday.

Fai gave him a level stare. "One thing you may want to know about dragons," he said, making gestures with his hands for emphasis, "they are all dictated by their breed."

"Race?" Kurogane asked, slightly bewildered.

The dragon shook his head. "No. Breed."

"So you are all just like a pack of mismatched dogs then?"

"Something like that. You see, Kyle is a storm dragon. He's never," Fai paused and glanced at the two still bickering, Kyle threatening to smother Souma while she slept, "quite a happy person. Storms are often not pleasant. However, once he has regained a balance and a calm he is quite a more lively person. As far as I know this happens mostly after bathing."

Kurogane absorbed the information like a sponge or a small child being told a bedtime story. He was almost ashamed of how curiously this fascinated him. "So what kind of dragon are you?"

Fai tapped his chin in thought. "It's no fun just to ask and be told." He said, as if giving sagely advice. "I know!" He snapped his fingers and Kurogane realized that whatever the dragon leader was going to say next would most certainly annoy him.

"I'll have you guess! You get three chances, so don't waste them on petty tries or I'll never tell you." He told him, a grin adorning his face.

The guard scoffed. "As if I care that much what type of dragon you are!"

Fai grinned at him. "I'm sure you care more than you let on." He said.

Kurogane twitched, annoyed at what might actually have been true.

Since when was he a dolt that fell in love at first sight. Not that he loved the dragon or anything. He hardly knew him!

Instead of focusing on that at the moment, he had a feeling he may never win despite himself, he decided that this game might actually have some value in it. Indeed, it seemed that the dragon's personalities were deeply intertwined with what type of dragon they were. So it only made sense that to get to know Fai better he had to figure this out first of all.

Not that he wanted to get to know Fai better or anything like that. He wasn't growing soft. Not at all. Nope.

Kurogane felt his stomach churn as Mokona bounded into the field and clung to his leg like a needy little puppy. He kicked her off gently and begin to pace around the camp without really realizing he was doing it. The present dragons watched him with vague amusement.

What type of dragon was Fai? What type of dragon was Fai?

Well, he had been entirely too floaty and ethereal last night to be something heavy like earth, although that had been the influence of something he had eaten. Kyle was of that nature, and he was a storm dragon, and that showed, so perhaps he was related to the sky. But what? What elements of sky were there? There were probably clouds, air, so on... Was sunset an element?

Fai turned to Mokona. "He's thinking rather hard on this isn't he, Moko-chan?" He cooed.

Mokona giggle. "Mokona would think that Kurogane would have realized that he is guessing from a blank box!" She exclaimed.

Kurogane whirled on them. "I knew it!" He cried pointed an accusing finger at the dragon. "You never gave anything for me to choose from! I don't know how many of your stupid breeds there are." With this he threw his hands in the air, childishly displaying his exasperation.

Fai laughed. "You should have asked beforehand, but it is too late now! It would be cheating for me to tell you such things!" He called, sing-songing his words in a lilting tone.

Kurogane glared. "So you want me to guess from absolutely no knowledge of what kind of breeds of dragon there are?" He asked, knowing that they were simply going in circles now.

Fai nodded. And then paused, looking down at Mokona with a thoughtful expression. "I suppose that Kuro-wan can use books that list all sorts of dragons. That's not cheating because who knows what their actual accuracy levels are." He clapped his hands together as if he had triumphantly found a way to make the enter game fair.

Kurogane sighed. "Yes, but how am I going to access any of that kind of knowledge. We are stranded in the forest!"

Fai looked at him like a confused child. "We're not stranded."

"I'm stranded, you idiot! And I doubt that any of you will point me in the right direction of the town!" He grumbled, crossing his arms defiantly.

"What makes you think that?" Asked Fai curiously.

"Aren't I your captive? Or something?" Replied Kurogane, knowing now that he really had no good reason to think that.

Fai's lips curled into a playful grin and he leered at Kurogane. "You want to be my caaaaaaptive…?" He asked. Then his face emptied of that emotion and filled with a small amount of embarrassment. "I mean, no, you're not our captive anymore." He said.

Kurogane stared. He kind of knew this from their letting him go an all, but the fact that he had stuck around seemed like it needed some outside cause. He couldn't just be here for his own sake, could he?

Fai looked at him with a curious gaze. "Would you like to leave?"

The guard looked at Fai. The dragon's eyes glittered in the late morning sun. Kurogane wished for a moment that he could see what emotions the blonde had behind those blue eyes, but he was not so skilled. "I don't know." He scratched the back of his head. "It's not like I brought very many things with me. And I'm sure the inn-keeper will hold onto them if I return. Probably." Kurogane frowned. "I hope so."

The dragon looked away for a moment, then back, as if an idea had hit him. "We could send Syaoran!" He proclaimed.

"Who?"

"The boy from earlier. I heard from Souma that he came by and thanked you for what you did for Sakura."

"Oh, him. So, you're going to send him to fetch all my stuff?"

Fai nodded. "Hopefully he'll come by some time again soon. I'm sure Touya-san and Yukito-kun wouldn't just toss your belongings. Especially when you're a daring knight that saved the princess from a terrible demise!"

Kurogane gave him a wry look. "Knights kill dragons in stories, you know."

The blonde grinned. "But those are just stories! They aren't real."

"Yeah, and I thought that about dragons until a little while ago." He said solemnly.

They stood there in silence for a moment. Kurogane wondering what he was doing here exactly. Fai wondering about something or other, probably unimportant, Kurogane guessed.

"I want breakfast!" And thus, the shrill whine of Mokona broke the silence.

---

"Hello, Kuro-chii!" Cried Mokona, as she perched in a trees, slowly devouring an apple.

Kurogane waved her off, wandering over to the logs by the fire and sitting. He felt himself spending a lot of time here. It was monotonous, mostly, especially with many of the dragons gone at all times of the day. No matter how much he explored of the forest, he could never quite pinpoint where they all went off to.

It was later in the day that very many of the other dragons appeared. Kyle has disappeared sometime earlier and had yet to be seen by anyone. Although Kurogane seemed to question this, no one else did, and thus he thought perhaps this was a normal occurrence.

He felt odd about the idea of getting used to such a thing. This was because he felt odd about getting used to the idea of staying with the dragons in general. Especially because they were apparently prone to kidnapping. The Mayor had been returned yesterday, with no ill injury upon him. He was actually more enjoyable than when he had been taken in by the dragons, or so Kurogane had been told. For all he knew the Mayor was a horrible person and by being enjoyable, he was "dead".

But as Fai told it, the Mayor was just misguided and had been attacking various colonies of dragons for years just out of his fear of them. The towns people had no knowledge of this because all the attacks took place in the Incuba Forest, which was apparently where they were. It had been forbidden for travelers and villages, so it wasn't even a place he was accustomed to thinking about, since it was never a useful path on journeys. So, in staying with the dragons over night they had treated him to a meal and had a proper discussion about the elegancies of diplomacy and the fair treating of dragons.

The strange thing was, Fai had this look on his face while he was telling Kurogane this that spoke of the dragon being extremely detached from the entire scenario. Most likely he hadn't had anything to do with the event at all, but the way when talking about Ashura he looked devoid of emotion.

And that was somewhat worrying for Kurogane. Had something occurred between the two? Perhaps one of the attacks…?

Kurogane stopped this train of though, feeling admittedly nauseous at the idea of such a laughter of innocents. He may have killed quite a lot of men in his time, but they all had deserved it, one way or another. Kurogane had made sure of that.

Albeit, this information had all been from a dragon's mouth. Kurogane began to wonder quite wildly about how many dragons there actually were out here. He had thought at first thought that maybe there was only a handful. Fai's group and perhaps some more aside from that. He was now beginning to suspect that there maybe be hundreds of them. Although the forest was limited and made that imagery a little non-realistic, it was still a thought.

Either way, he had decided that the last few days may have very well changed his life entirely. Before them he had had no knowledge of dragons whatsoever.

And once again, he merely wondered if Tomoyo-hime had seen this coming. He hadn't taken a vacation in years and to suddenly prompt that he leave for one seemed awkward and abrupt. At the time he suspected something was going on at the castle that perhaps he was not to be present for. It was doubtful that it was something that he would enjoy. More or less likely it was a Prince coming to charm the princess.

Those events he had been fond of, only for the opportunity to scare the petty and insolent little pests away. He had yet to meet anyone suited enough to be the future king of the country, let alone Tomoyo-hime's husband.

In retrospect, he wondered how he ever got away with such unruly conduct. It was not conducive to be beneficial for the environment of the court, after all. He had worked with a lot of skilled and dangerous people. And those had been his allies!

Come to thing about it, his allies currently were dragons. Were they even individuals that he could call his allies? He didn't know. He was, however, going to stick close to Fai until they officially released him. After that he didn't know, but, Fai seemed to like him and was powerful enough that the other dragons probably wouldn't try to interfere with the outsider like they might otherwise do.

He felt like a rat taking shelter underneath and cat, and the feeling didn't sit well with him.

"Kuro-min!" Called Fai, waving the guard over and interrupting him from his thoughts.

Kurogane grumbled from his spot and stared dejectedly at the being that asked him to move. He always got thoughtful when he was comfortable and he currently wanted to stay comfortable. It was the cold season and the fire was a pleasant thing to be near. Leaving it was entirely too unpleasant to bear. Thus the decision was made for him.

Fai stared at the unmoving guard and then, deciding that Kurogane most likely hadn't heard him, called louder. "Kuro-coo!" He called and Kurogane twitched avoiding the eye contact that he knew would lead to him leaving his spot.

"I have a surprise for you!" Called the dragon, looking anxiously at the guard's back, or so Kurogane imagined from the whine in his tone.

Kurogane turned slightly to see if Fai was holding the said surprise.

And indeed, Fai had Kurogane's bag and extra sword from the inn. The kid must have come by when Kurogane wasn't paying attention. Or maybe the blue dragon had wandered off himself in search of him.

Kurogane stormed over into the cold grasp of the pleased dragon. "Give me those." He ordered, swiping the bag away from Fai and reaching for the remaining sword. Fai smiled and hopped backwards, brandishing the sheathed item out of Kurogane's reach.

Kurogane frowned. "That's not a toy and I would prefer if you did not treat it as such." He commented, stepping forward, hand outstretched.

Fai shuffled backwards, slinging the sword over his shoulder. "Kuro-chii loves his blades more than me…" He sniffled, a grin hypocritically resting on his lips.

The guard's face grew red and he hoped the dim lighting of the forest prevented Fai from noticing such a thing. In fact, he was sure it did. Although the dragon was handsome, he…

Kurogane mentally smacked himself. He was not going to go down this road. No, he was not. It was the road of inter-specie misfortune and humiliating acts of lovesick school children,

He did not like the dragon. Not like that. No.

Fai looked at Kurogane and laughed. The guard had frozen stock still and was staring forward. "Are you fighting some type of war in there?" Fai asked, curiously waving a hand in front of his face. "I didn't know your duties continued into the realms or your mind." He said tauntingly.

Kurogane blinked and grabbed the waving arm on reflex. As he realized who's arm he had grabbed--and their skin was touching!!--he promptly released it, storming off in a random direction.

The dragon looked at the man walking away and then at the sword in his hand. Immediately a worn look fell on his face and he propped the item up against a tree, knowing the man would probably spot it at some point and take it.

Fai had never really like swords much.

---

It was some time later, after Kurogane had a short trip away from the camp, making sure to carefully mark trees with a powdery, red stone, that he realized exactly what had happened. Storming back into the camp he stomped up to Fai, pointing a very accusing finger at the confused and innocent looking blonde.

"You!" He growled, posture rigid and shaking. "Where is my sword?"

Fai licked his lips. "What? Do you need it to slay me?" He asked, feigning nonchalance.

A shiver of pleasure went up Kurogane's spine and it was quickly squelched. He was not like that. He was… he was loyal to Tomoyo-hime! He had no time for such foolishness.

Kurogane sniffed indignantly turning his head away from the leering dragon. "I have no idea what you're implying." He stated. Then, as if he had realized that hadn't sounded quite right, he amended it with, "...but if you are suggesting that I would kill you if I had my sword then you are quite mistaken." He pulled up his coat a bit, uncovering his first sword.

Fai stared at it as it gleamed in the dim light. The he looked up at Kurogane. "So you want to kill me with that sword?" he asked, looking vaguely uncertain.

Kurogane jumped, "No, I don't want to kill you with any sword."

"What do you want to kill me with then?" Fai asked, grinning.

Kurogane internally groaned. "I don't! I don't want to kill you!" He threw his hands into the air, at a loss for it.

Fai laughed. "Oh, well that's good." he said, standing and stretching his legs. "I don't want to kill you either." He tilted his head. "I would have thought that such a brave guard would notice his sword lying over there." Fai said, pointing quite near where Kurogane had entered camp from.

The man stared at it, biting his tongue so as to not curse. How had he missed that…?

Fai began to wander from the camp in the opposite direction, and when Kurogane noticed this he somewhat wished he could see his expression.

Souma padded up to him and watched Fai's back as he left. "You know, he's never interacted with any of us as much as he does you." She stated. Kurogane wondered what she was trying to imply and decided that he probably didn't want to know.

Kyle grimaced from where he was sitting by the fire. If the dragon wasn't missing he was a lump on a log that took great interest in reading.

Mokona, who had been previously lounging in a tree, dropped down from it, landing neatly on her feet. "It's almost time! It's almost time!" She cheered.

Kyle snorted and shut his book roughly. "Thankfully." He muttered, shaking his head ruefully.

Kurogane looked over at Souma. "What?" He asked.

Souma paused before, "Well, every year or so, on a certain night chosen by the group leaders, we clans get together." She shrugged. "We're a very cheerful species by nature, so we celebrate together every once in a while."

Kurogane stared. "So you're going to be having a party?" He asked, mildly intrigued by the idea of a bunch of merry dragons singing and drinking and eating together.

"Indeed. You're invited, probably. There aren't many humans amongst us that are allowed to get as close as you have. I can only think that Fai must think you incredibly special, since he's turned away more valiant and noble humans that you."

"Turned away?" Kurogane asked, feeling himself parroting her words.

She looked at him curiously. "Yes. You didn't think you were the only human that wanted to join a pack of dragons, did you?"

Kurogane blinked. "Well, I don't know if I wanted to join…" He made an empty gesture with his hands.

The dragon waved it off. "Well, you aren't planning on leaving soon, are you?"

"I do have somewhere I'm supposed to return to in a couple months…"

Souma stared at him critically, and despite his training he felt her gaze illicit a feeling of sheepishness in him. Shaking her head she spoke again. "Anyway, you have gained a one of a kind chance, so I suggest you show up to it. Dragons are more insulted by ingratitude than anything else."

"Well, as long as I know about these things, I'm sure it won't be a problem." He grumbled, irritated that no one had told him about this. Although he didn't expect them to, but apparently they expected him to know about them.

The guard grew curious and couldn't help but prod Souma further. "But, why did Fai choose me over others? I haven't even been here three days!"

Souma bit her lip and looked away. "I don't know…" She said.

Kyle looked up at the two. "I have a theory."

Souma and Kurogane looked over curiously, waiting for him to continue. When Kyle was satisfied that he had their full attention, he did.

"I believe," he began, "that Fai has the uncanny, magical ability to see the good in people, if there is any. I think this is not merely a trait of his personality, but rather an actual ability." Kyle directed his dark gaze at Kurogane. "And you, he has decided, is worthy of that kind of respect.

Kurogane was silent. He fiddled with his sword hilt like he was wont to do when he was embarrassed. It was generally good at giving those around him a entirely different idea about how he was feeling. He stopped, realizing that he may not really want them to. Then he spoke again. "I would say that I would work hard to show that I am worthy of that kind of trust, but if I were to work at it then it may be that I am not at all."

Kyle nodded. "Indeed. All you can do is continue on as you have so far. If you leave, then so be it. However, I am sure that this would make Fai quite sad."

Kurogane looked at him with thought. "I shall have to leave in a couple months. I am in the service of a princess and this is just a vacation that she has... forced upon me quite eagerly."

Mokona giggled. "Kurogane's princess forced that upon Kurogane?" She asked, looking at him with an air of curiosity. "Perhaps it is better if Kurogane stays then, since even his own princess does not need him!"

Kurogane sighed. "I very much doubt that she would do that..." The he looked sharply at the pink-haired girl. "Well, maybe she would..."

Souma shook her head and clapped her hands to gain a piece of silence. "Calm down all. The meeting is in a few hours." Kurogane frowned. "At the fourth quarter of the night to be exact. We should all prepare."

She grabbed Mokona by the ear and the pink haired girl yelped. "You," chided Souma, "need to go bathe. Promptly." And with that she booted Mokona out of the camp until the girl came back clean.

Kyle crossed his arms. "You are not ordering me around like last time Souma." He proclaimed bitterly.

The dragon in question smirked. "And your best ornaments are where? You can't meekly try to hide in your human outfits this time. You have to actually dress for the respect of the council."

Kyle stared at her, before veering around and grumbling on his way into the forest.

The guard stared at her, wondering what chore she was going to bestow upon him. She noticed this and grabbed his shoulder reassuringly. "You and I are going to go and find you know who."

The guard sniffed indignantly, at least he hoped he knew who...

---

Fai was harder to locate than Kurogane had first presumed he would be. The silence between the two searchers and the chatter of the forest creatures distractedly led Kurogane on his trail of thought about what type of dragon Fai was. He had already confirmed, within his own mind, that Fai was most likely not an earth dragon since they were of the nature of being grounded individuals. It was doubtful that he was steel, either, since that nature seemed to not match Fai's dragon appearance.

He looked at Souma's back, who was walking ahead of him, artfully dodging the scattered debris of the forest floor. He had a thought and decided he might as well give it a try. "What type of dragon is Fai?" He asked, hoping his plan wasn't entirely futile.

The she-dragon looked skeptically over her shoulder. "You know I can't tell you that. You made an agreement with Fai that you would figure it out on your own... or with the help of some books, but mostly on your own."

Kurogane cursed mentally. Well, that hadn't worked the way he had wanted it to. Oh, well.

"Then can you at least tell me the basic type of dragons? I have no real knowledge of your species, and this makes the game somewhat unfair."

Souma's ears twitching in annoyance. "I think it makes the game more fun, but I might be able to yield to you a vague idea of what types there are." She paused. "Just so you don't go off guessing that he's some weird breed. Like a cow dragon. We eat cows. He could never be part cow."

Kurogane suspected that she hadn't just come up with that example on her own. "So, someone guessed that he was a cow dragon before?"

Her shoulders slumped from up ahead of him, but he could not see her expression. "No... they guessed that I was a cow dragon. What a total fool. I'm half to believe that he said that just to be insulting, but he lost his last try, so what could I do for him but chase him off before I torched him for it." The guard felt that there may have been more to this story than he was being told, but he decided against questioning it.

Instead he came up with a very good question. "So you do this often?"

She looked back at him with a bit of confusion. "Yes, we do. You had no knowledge of this?" She asked.

Kurogane felt the urge to growl rise in him. "I had no knowledge of dragons a mere three or four days ago! I can't even remember how long it has been!" He grumbled.

Souma sighed. "That happens sometimes. Mokona was integrated into our group so fast I'm sure her tiny pink head spun."

"She's a dragon, though."

"Same difference, really. We judge the same. It's just that we meet so many more dragons than we do humans."

"Hn… So about the dragon types?"

Souma clicked her tongue. "Well, let's see. There are earth, water, fire, sky, wood, and metal dragons, for starters."

Kurogane keened his ears for the "continuers".

When the silence stayed for longer than was normal, Souma looked back at him. "That's all I'm telling you, in case you were wondering."

"You can't tell me any more?"

"No, that would be called cheating."

"This all seems unfair." Kurogane grumbled. She shrugged and graceful dodged a fallen tree that was laying in there path. Kurogane, however, did not gracefully dodge it, and thus landed in the dirt despite himself.

A cheerful laughter echoed from a short distance away and the two travelers looked up to find themselves face to face with the object of their search.

Fai grinned as he pulled back a branch and stepped around it. It swung back on his release. "So what are you two doing out here so late?" He asked, clapping the dirt of his hands gracefully.

Kurogane picked himself up from the ground, blushing and humiliated. How did that guy always catch him at the worst moments?

Kurogane paused and thought about this. No, he was sure that wasn't true. He must've been exaggerating.

At least, he hoped so.

The she-dragon looked at him strangely. "What are you doing out here so late?"

Fai shrugged. "Things."

The two stared at each other. Souma shrugged it off. "We were looking for you, you idiot. If you miss the meetings again then they'll begin to think you don't care and stop inviting you."

The blonde grinned. "And what's wrong with not being invited anymore? I personally don't like going. But, you always seem he insist." He sighed, a tinge of hopelessness fresh on his voice.

Kurogane dusted his pants off, mildly angry at them for getting so dirty. As if it was their fault.

---

When they got back to camp, Kurogane was vaguely floored by the appearance of both Mokona and Kyle. He was not expecting to see the two so dressed up, let alone in their dragon forms.

Mokona, who he had not seen in dragon form, was somewhat predictable. Her body was lithe, but while she only was a few yards long, she had a larger width than both Fai or Kyle. Her scales were a tender pink and small clumps of soft white feathers jutted out at angles behind her ears and at the joints of her legs. The small gold earring hung from her ear, twinkling with an inanimate cheer. A band of silk hung around her neck. It was a brighter pink than her form and had a rabbit pattern on it. Kyle wore a similar silk band that was a navy blue with a speckled grey pattern. Kurogane supposed that this was what comprised of fancy clothing for the dragons. It reminded him of the soft clothing the women of the east were known to wear.

"Aaaah!" Fai cooed, gazing Mokona over with an almost fatherly pride. "You look so lovely! It is quite rare to see you in that form!"

Mokona bent her long neck in a sort of playful humility. "Fai complimented Mokona! Mokona doesn't like this form much. Mokona is much more agile as a human!" She chirped, swaying her head teasingly.

Kurogane realized for the first time that day, that he was the most abnormal in the group. That was a very bizarre feeling, and he didn't much like the taste of it. However, there was nothing that could be done. They would walk to this festival, meeting, whatever and Kurogane would be the odd one out. Probably.

He had the fleeting thought of getting to ride one of them, then promptly thought this dirty and shooed it away. He did not need images of things like that in his head. Not of blue dragons. No.

He bit his tongue and hoped he was less in denial than he had the feeling he was.

Deciding it was wise to say something on the appearance of the cheery girl, he stared at her trying to find something to compliment. "Your scales look… quite shiny and pink." He said.

For that, he almost slapped himself. That was a statement, not a compliment!

Mokona grinned, a toothy (although the teeth themselves were small and thin) dragon grin. "That's what Mokona's dad used to say to Mokona!" She twittered. Kurogane twitched, realizing he had no idea if this was a compliment or not, either. Things evened out, he figured.

Fai clasped his hands together looking longingly at the two. "Ahhh! Kuro-myuu is like Moko-chan's father?" He tilted his head in thought. "Then he must be the daddy of the group!" Kyle snorted somewhere above his head, but the sky was beginning to get to dark to be able to see the dragon clearly.

The guard shuddered. "I am no one's father!" He yelped, anguished by the idea of having to watch out for that annoying pink bun of a girl.

Fai laughed. "Daddy is being silly, isn't he, Moko-chan?"

The young dragon giggled. "Silly daddy!" She crowed.

Souma, who was searching through a bag for something, looked up at them. "Does this make Fai the mommy?" She asked, blatant sarcasm abound in her tone.

Fai's eyes widened, as if this had never occurred to him. And just like Kurogane predicted, he latched onto the idea like a predator to prey. "Indeed!" He pounded his fist into his hand. Looking over at Kurogane with a grin he said, "I'm the mommy!" At this, Kyle blanched, his mouth twisting into a form of disgust.

Kurogane felt the urge to shudder again and shirked the feeling. He was a man, and men did not cower at the sight of other men claiming to be mothers.

"No." Kurogane said, daring anyone to argue against him.

"I'll second that." Whispered Kyle, loud enough for the group to hear him, although he hadn't meant to be.

Fai pouted, "You are all so cruel!" He mewled. Looking over to the confused looking Mokona, he asked, "You're the one in question! Who's your mommy and daddy?"

Mokona tilted her head. "Well, my mommy and daddy are my mommy and daddy, but Fai and Kurogane can be their substitutes when they're not around!" She answered, seeming pleased with herself.

Souma walked up with a couple more of those neck scarves and looked expectantly at Fai. Fai grabbed the light blue one with clouds on it and slung it over his human shoulders. It hung low, looking very much like it didn't belong there at all.

Kurogane looked at the neck band, then at Kyle's. His mind rolled over the idea of using one of the guess, and he looked at Fai with a bit of determination. "I think I would like t guess what kind of dragon you are." He stated, slightly embarrassed that this gained the attention of the surrounding dragons.

"Wai! Kuro-wanko is going to use a guess!" Proclaimed Fai, thought it didn't need to be. "I hope he didn't waste it on something silly!"

Kurogane glared. "Of course I wouldn't do that, you idiot!"

"Then what is it?"

"Well…" He looked at the expectant dragons and felt slightly uneasy. Why were they so voyeuristic?

"Are you a sky dragon?" He asked.

Fai looked at him thoughtfully. "Hmm… Kuro-nyah has good guesses, but he's wrong! Fai is not a sky dragon."

Kurogane frowned, suppressing the urge to look crestfallen. He wasn't going to lose this, thus there was no room for any form of childish pouting. He wouldn't lose this, of that he was sure.

Noticing his silent distress, Fai wandered near, the loop of silk hanging perilously from his human neck. "Don't worry Kuro-chu!" He said, flicking the guard on the nose. Kurogane jerked back attempting to hide the heating of his face, that he knew was visible to the others. "You were really close! Just be more observant next time. The clues are all around you."

Kurogane searched Fai's eyes for clues, and at finding them empty of supplying him with furthering information, he figured Fai had to be lying. Somewhat. Even if it wasn't purposeful.

Souma sighed. "Everyone, we need to hurry up. The meeting is soon." She gestured with the silk cloth for emphasis, before draping the deep green scarf over her own neck.

Kurogane felt this fashion statement to look rather silly.

That was before both Souma and Fai changed into their respective forms.

Fai's musical, thin body was accompanied by Souma's smooth, earthy appearance. She was quite obviously from a different thread of breeding than the others. Her body was designed in less a slim and lengthy fashion. Although she did have the long neck and body, she was stronger and more sturdy than the other dragons. Her belly scales were riddled with a brown snake-like pattern, while her surrounding scales were a dark, forest green. A dark, almost black stripe ran across her face and eyes.

Kurogane felt it was safe to say that she was some breed of earth dragon. And, he also felt it safe to say that the scarves look much less ridiculous now.

The small encampment was unsurprisingly crowded with the change of the four dragons into their normal states.

Fai looked at the others, singing his head with the motion. "So, I presume everyone is ready?" He asked, outright joking. There was no possible way they could have stayed in the camp like this.

All grumbled a varied form of yes, feeling it necessary to at least answer the question, despite its sarcastic nature.

Fai turned to the guard, his stature semi-towering over the man. "So…" He began, gaining Kurogane's attention. "…does Kuro-min want to ride mommy?"

---

The trip to the meeting was not long nor arduous. It was average length and this did not necessarily make it a short trip.

After twenty minutes of grumbling, sputtering, and humiliated blushing, Kurogane finally accepted to let Fai carry him much like a large bareback horse.

Only, because he was slowing them down, though. There were no other reasons aside from that. None. Especially not Fai's inappropriate and perverted reasons, of which Mokona was hopefully unable to understand.

Fai felt different then he looked.

Kurogane sat at the curve of his back, right behind the jutting shoulder blades that hypnotically moved back in forth with a refined ease. His hold was entirely dependant on Fai's smooth movement and the long draping wings lightly pinning his legs safely to the dragon's sides.

To Kurogane the scales looked sleek and immobile. However, that was entirely untrue. He was more snake-like than anything else Kurogane had encountered in his short life. Except, of course, a snake. The muscles rippled and contracted underneath him and the scales floated over his movement like a thin layer of cloth would over human skin.

Kurogane, although admittedly charmed by the whimsical nature of his wannabe-steed, did not exactly find this form attractive on a human level. He was not a luster of dragons.

Or at least, he hoped he wasn't. He was pretty sure he wasn't. The only reason he felt the way he did currently--that being like his stomach was infested with dragonflies--was because of Fai's magic and his already apparent attraction for the dragon in human form.

Nobody had to tell him that Fai had magic. His lyrical transformation reeked something awful of "theme song".

Mokona wandered up beside Fai, her head only coming up to his wingtips. "Kuro-chii enjoying the ride?" She asked, keeping stride with the long legged Fai. It wasn't difficult for her, but she certainly was exuding much more effort than the older dragon was.

Kurogane looked down at the her, once again getting a strange sense of awe at how high he was. This was possibly two to three times higher than a horse, which was the closest thing he had ridden compared to this. "Hn." He grumbled, not knowing what to answer, for fear it would give Fai wrong ideas.

Well, right ideas that were wrong, Something along those lines.

Kurogane mentally kicked himself for being so confusing the in confines of his own mind.

Fai turned his long neck to look at Kurogane out of the corner of his eye, and the guard was once again reminded of a horse. "Awww. I think that means yes!" He said, taking delight in his own speculation.

Kurogane denied answering, staring ahead at the night sky. Soft glowing lights were visible in the far distance. They had reached a thinner part of the forest, and thus the refulgent distance was visible through the wiry branches of the native trees.

"It's such a lovely sight to see again…" Souma said, admiring the distant spectacle with honest bliss.

Fai nodded, ears bobbing with the movement. "I would have to agree that, that is one of the better features of it."

A thought struck the guard. "How often do you have this meeting?"

"Once a year or so." Replied Kyle, striding a long at a smooth gait. He seemed quite eager to get to the celebration. "I thought I had said that earlier…"

Mokona piped up from beside Fai, "Although some years we don't have it and it makes Mokona really sad!"

"Why wouldn't you have it?"

"Well," began Fai, sounding much like a teacher humoring a student, "Sometimes the seasons shift and the phase of the moon we hold this occasion on comes much earlier in the year. It's impossible to organize, because events like that are entirely unpredictable."

Kurogane nodded. That made sense. Probably. To the dragons at least. To him it sounded rather odd and he wasn't very sure he understood the connotations of what they were saying. Like, for example, when did the moon phase change or speed up without warning? That was unheard of in the towns.

He internally sighed. If there was one thing he missed from civilization it was the food cooked by his fellow humans. Dragons ate a diet consisting mainly of meat. Healthy for a dragon, pleasing for a man on occasion, unhealthy if served every single meal.

The lights in the distance grew closer and closer by the second. Kurogane was slightly taken aback to see just exactly how fast they were moving now that there was a point of reference. With this in mind, he held onto Fai just a little bit tighter. When Fai laughed, he figured it was at something else. Probably something that someone had said. It was most certainly not about him.

In a matter of minutes they were to arrive at the grove of the dragons.

---

Kurogane was certain that he had never seen something so beautiful in his entire life. And this was not a compliment he gave out often. He had seen women he thought of as beautiful, architecture he had thought of as beautiful, and various other items and places he had given this word to describe it.

None could ever compare to this.

The field was alive with fires and dragons speckled the entire area of it with varying degrees of colors and shapes. There were also a few that had remained in their semi-human forms, ears proudly displayed as they were wont to do. Amongst them, sprinkled like dew drops, were the sole humans allowed into the different sects of dragons. Or, at least, who he had thought were dragons. According to Fai and the others it was only the worst of manners to keep ones ears concealed amongst other dragons.

The shades and breeds of all the dragons were more than Kurogane could count on one hand. There was a group nearby that had what he could only guess was a moon dragon for the way it glowed in the moonlight and the symbol on its forehead. Off to the right there was a fire dragon, proudly displaying its abilities to a group of pale blue and green dragons.

Kurogane could not imagine himself ever forgetting this sight, lest the night he had in store. It was like he was a child seeing a festival for the very first time.

Coming to a stand still, the group paused on the hill overlooking the field. The field itself was bowl in shape, gently sloping hills surrounding it on all sides. Fai swirled his head around entirely, butting Kurogane in the chest with his snout. "Are you prepared to dismount and be introduced to the largest grouping of dragons in the entirety of the west countries?"

Kurogane snapped his attention away from the field reluctantly and looked at Fai. "I am?" He asked, not really thinking about what he was saying.

Mokona launched herself at Kurogane, lightly tackling the guard off the blue dragon. She laughed and nuzzled him in the chest as though she had known him her entire life. "Kurogane is, Kurogane is!" She cheered, grabbing at his shirt and attempting to pull him along.

Kyle snapped the young dragon up in his mouth, preventing her from potentially mauling the poor man. He presumably chided her, but it was lost in a muffled speech as she wriggled and squirmed.

Kurogane stared from his position on the grass. Luckily it wasn't dirt or the robes Fai and the group had let him borrow would have been ruined entirely. Brown was not a good color on black, despite it having a low visibility.

Fai picked the flustered guard off the ground as well and placed him upright. "I'm sure you'll get used to it." He said, which Kurogane most certainly did not want to hear.

Souma gave a faint smile, looking at the group. "Excuse me," she interrupted, "But I'm going to head off. I have a few individuals I want to talk with before the night's over." And with that she trotted down the hill, melting into the swarm of dragons.

The sugar bun, as Kurogane was bitterly determined to call after that jumping stunt, squealed and took off into the mass as well saying something about how she was going to find Yuuko.

Kyle looked at the Fai and Kurogane, then looked at the field, then looked at the two again. "Well, I'm gone." He said, wandering down as well, as though he couldn't get away from them fast enough.

Fai laughed as Kyle disappeared into the mass. "I'm sure we'll be seeing less of him now. I very much doubt he wanted to be in our group all that much, but he was stuck with us until now." At Kurogane's confused looked the dragon grinned. "Kuro-min is so cute, being so helpless on his own!" He cheered wagging his tail like a dog.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me what you mean, then fine." He grumbled, crossing his arms. It was hard to maintain that kind of expression when staring down at a magnificent sea of sparkling scales and shining fur, but he was Kurogane, guard to the royal Princess Tomoyo, he could handle it.

"This night is the night that the groups of dragons are arranged. We aren't set into determined packs, but for one year we must remain with the individuals that are chosen, whether we want to or not."

Kurogane's eyes widened. "So you mean that we may never see any of them again?" He asked. He didn't want to let out the fact that he was vaguely saddened by this, albeit it was obvious to Fai. He never even got to say goodbye to any of them.

"No, no, no." Fai interrupted the guard's sulking. "We will probably see them a lot in the days to come. Dragons don't make it a habit to say partings to one another. It's considered bad luck and is only done if the two parties never wish to see each other again."

"Will they still be in our group?"

With this the dragon paused in thought. "I don't think Kyle will, although has was a wonderful teacher for Mokona. I think his thought process was a far cry different than ours to ever be truly compatible. But, I'm sure we'll see him again. You may have not wandered far enough from the camp to see them, but fellow groups aren't that hard to find."

A silence fell on them as Kurogane pondered his future and the future he had with the dragons. He wondered, with no small amount of sadness, if his future would even contain such creatures.

But, that was for later. Now was the time of the great gathering of the dragons.

---


	3. Part 3

**Title:** Blue Bird  
**Part:** 3  
**Author:** ShyroFox  
**Rating:** PG-13/T  
**Pairings:** KuroganexFai (TSU), Hinted DoumekixWatanuki (XXX), SyaoranxSakura (CCS),  
**Warnings:** Dragon AU, Evil Ashura,  
**Disclaimer:** Copyright CLAMP  
**Summary:** AU, After being forced on a vacation by the ever-loving princess Tomoyo, Kurogane is caught up in a maelstrom of misfortune and misunderstanding as he ventures into a cold town and meets an even colder dragon.

---

Fai had led Kurogane around the mass, but after a while it became obvious that without preventative measures, the human was likely to be crushed. And it would be most unpleasant if that happened.

Thus Fai had taken to having the man ride on his back again. It may have caused a few stares, but Fai was undaunted, so Kurogane felt that he should remain that way as well.

"Who are you looking for?" Asked Kurogane as they waded the dragon sea. It was strange how well that described it, too. It moved just like the ocean and certainly had a nasty bite if you didn't know what you were doing.

Although Kurogane had only been on a fishing ship once when he was twelve. So maybe his opinion wasn't the best that could be used.

Fai's ear swung back but his face didn't turn, so Kurogane figured this was a motion for him to repeat himself. "Who are you looking for?"

"Oh, someone that you should most certainly meet. In fact, it's essential before we settle down for the more exciting part of the night."

The dragon-rider looked confused, but Fai turned back to search, neglecting to explain further.

After some small amount more of wandering around the lounging rings of serpentine creatures, Fai apparently spotted what he was looking for and rushed forward sending Kurogane sprawling onto his back and clutching somewhat desperately to the gentle, feathered appendages. Kurogane was quickly able to right himself, and if the feathers he had pulled from Fai's wings in the act had hurt the dragon he gave no sign of it.

Coming to a slowed gait, the dragon came to a stop. Kurogane craned his head around, gripping the dragon's neck gently, to look around and see what Fai saw.

Before them was a most magnificent dragon. Its scales shimmered a dark and mysterious purple, the likes of which one could only view at sunset. The shadows made the scales appear black while the light from a nearby fire made the resilient wine color glow brilliantly. He ears draped elegantly from her head, tiny rings and bands hanging off them, looking so much like they belonged as if they were tiny silver pieces of her ears. A band of black silk with glowing butterflies adorned its neck, and in the firelight Kurogane could have sworn that they were occasionally beating their wings.

It looked as though the dragon's intricate being had taken hours to look just so, but Kurogane felt that the it probably looked like this every day.

Fai interrupted his musing, to bow to it. "Yuuko-san." He addressed and Kurogane sputtered as the image of the woman who had kidnapped him leapt into his mind. This was that her?

She looked not at Fai's bowing head, but over his bent neck at Kurogane's look of mild shock. The guard felt that it may have very well been inappropriate to be this shocked, for she matched her human figure completely.

"Good evening Fai-san. Kurogane-san." She said, bowing with a slight tip of her head. Her red eyes looking at them with a frightening amount of depth. "I see you have decided to hold onto the human?" She asked, giving Fai a humored smile.

"Yes." He replied, and to Kurogane's surprised, Fai looked dead serious. The human got the feeling that this meeting was probably more weighty and important that any other he would have tonight.

The she-dragon stood, tiny clinking of bells and rings sounding as she did so. Fai turned, fully exposing Kurogane to her and she walked up to the human, examining him as if her were a bug she was debating whether or not to flick off of herself. He attempting not to gulp, and was proud of himself when he succeeded.

Her head tilted slightly, and she swiftly nabbed him off the other dragon and gently placed him on the ground. The quick movement made Kurogane yelp indignantly.

She laughed and Kurogane felt a wave of semi-terror as Fai backed away the dragoness circled him. "So, Kurogane-san…" She said wandering the length of the small circle, becoming visible, as she passed his line of view, then invisible as she walked behind him. He was certain that this was not the time for the suspicious following of her with his eyes. "You want to join dragons and have passed the test of the group leader?" She asked.

He had no idea what test she was talking about and wondered if this was the time to mention that he would be going home in a two months. Deciding it not to be, he said what sounded surprisingly to his own ears to be a resolute, "Yes."

Her lithe body continued to circle him, and Kurogane briefly wondered if any dragons were stout and fat like he had seen in picture books as a child. Decided to file this curiosity away for now--he could investigate it further if he lived through this, of course--he brought his attention back to the somewhat dangerous creature with lots of teeth that continued to orbit him.

She stopped abruptly in front of him, turning to face him, and it was then that Kurogane noticed with no small amount of dread that the ground was covered with a white circle and various markings contained within it. He had no idea where they had come from, for he had never seen her draw them…

"Well, human." She said, not threatening but not gently either, eyes seeming to glow. "We'll see if that will be your fate."

The outline of the circle lit up. Then, as though flowing like water, the patterns within it began to as well. Soon they reached the center, a triangle. Kurogane was unsure of whether or not he like being the item standing in the tri-pointed shape.

He had expected the river-rush movement of the glow to stop, but instead it began to fill up the triangle as if he were in an encasement that was being filled with water. The white magic bobbed and waved like just like water as the steam continued to pour more in from the bottom. It filled to his feet. Then he ankles. It climbed higher and higher and Kurogane wondered where exactly it would stop as he thanked his training for not allowing himself to show just how much this unfamiliar ritual alarmed him.

Yuuko looked at him, unmoving from her space in front of him. He suspected that Fai was just as immobile and intent from behind him, but for all he knew the dragon could have very well left! But he was sure that Fai would… probably, not do that. Kurogane grimaced when he realized that he could see quite a few curious spectators scattered off to the sides. He hated being the center of attention…

He was interrupted from this as the water-like magic continued to rise and swiftly engulfed his neck and head. It stopped a few inches from the tips of his spiky hair.

At this point Kurogane had suspected that he would very well drown, but the magic, although very water-like, was not water, and he had no trouble continuing to breathe air aside from the surreal feeling of his mind telling him that he shouldn't be able to.

For the first time, Kurogane realized that the sparkling light gave off a warm buzz of energy and security. It was like being held in his mother's arms again or having his hair ruffled lovingly by his father. Such feelings he hadn't been able to enjoy for a long while now. It felt natural and wonderful and Kurogane felt himself drift at ease, as though he had no worries. He idly wondered if this was what love felt like before promptly shaking that thought away, blaming the magic for making him feel drugged.

Suddenly, the triangle burst as if the three edges were three glass plates suddenly taken away. The magic flowed out in points, hitting a circular barrier like three great waves, before resting and melting away into nothingness.

Kurogane blinked stupidly, the trance he was in having been lost with the magic.

Yuuko walked up to him, a hooded-eye grin on her face. "You did very well." She told him as if he were a child. He currently felt like one with how confused he was about what had just happened.

From somewhere behind him he heard Fai cheer, "Yay! Kuro-rin passed!" Along with the murmurs of some of the spectator dragons that had paused to watch the event.

"So…" He said, looking at the dark dragon. "What was that?"

She tilted her head, a brighter grin dawning on her face as if she enjoyed it immensely when she held information that others did not. "That was a purity test. It measures how dirty in spirit you are, how malevolent your thoughts are, and how much understanding you have of the world around you."

He frowned. "So couldn't you have done this to me when I first came instead of interrogating me?" He asked.

She laughed, and he heard a few small snickers from beyond the light where the other dragons were still watching. He wanted to kick all of them. "This is only done as an introduction into dragon clans." She explained. "Besides, if I wasted that much magic on every hoodlum we captured just to check their soul purity it would drain my reservoir entirely!" She complained.

"Ah…" He still was unsure of many things, but the need to ask all of this now seemed unnecessary and childish.

Yuuko glanced at the star-lit sky for a moment before looking down at him again. Her thin tail shot out and grabbed his wrist and he yelped. "Don't be like that!" She chided. "Look here."

She turned his wrist so that he was looking at the back of his hand. On it was a glowing symbol of a dragon with a blade-like tail. He looked at it before turning his other hand and noticing the same symbol turned flipped, so that the dragons were facing each other.

"Ahhh…" She called, and he looked up at her. "You are a fighting dragon type. Although, you are still a human, the ritual labels you as such so that you are both verified to be an honorary member and considered with respect by fellow dragons."

Her tail released his wrist and he flexed his hands, watching the symbols stay intact, not stretching with his skin like a tattoo or scar would.

"You can only see that symbol in the light of the moon when you are amongst other dragons. This is both good and bad, so be very careful with who you allow to view them." She warned him. And Kurogane felt the weight of the ominous warning and frowned.

---

Fai led him out of the ring of voyeurs, who were chatting in quite a gossipy way, some even cheering him with congratulations. Fai smiled at the human walking next to him. "Don't worry about them." He told him, flapping his wings once as if it were an equivalent motion as a human hand waving away an imaginary problem. "Dragons have the utmost respect for humans that pass a magic-dragon's initiation, since the numbers are slim. And your's went so well! I'm sure anything they say about you will be good."

Kurogane glare at him. "You never warned me about this." He accused, feeling a bit off himself for all the attention, positive or not.

The dragon wriggled his body playfully. "But I'm not supposed to!" He laughed, looking at Kurogane gleefully. "You may very well have tried to purify your thoughts and intentions and that may have resulted in the mucking up of your test!"

The human stared at the dragon. Fai was beginning to act the same way he had when the two had first met, and although it had appeared strange at the time it seemed downright wrong now.

"Don't." He spat, and Fai stopped, looking at him with mild confusion.

"…don't what?" Asked the dragon, eyes hooded in a way that reminded him of how Yuuko had looked at him, although he couldn't pinpoint why.

"Act like an idiot. It doesn't suit you." Growled the guard, grabbing the dragons foreleg as emphasis that he was serious. He realized this may have been a silly move, since he couldn't even wrap his hand around half of it, but if Fai thought it was he didn't show it.

The dragon starred at him, a very torn emotion lingering in his eyes that Kurogane was sure he wasn't supposed to see, before Fai turned to stare in the opposite direction.

Kurogane was going to force him to respond somehow, but Fai did so without any prompting. "It's funny that you say that." He said, and his voice sounded both emotional and cold, like the dragon was trying to control it and failing.

"I don't think this matter is funny at all." Kurogane said, gripping the scales beneath his fingers as if his letting go would cause Fai to slip away. "I treat you with respect and I don't hide who I am from you." Kurogane paused, wondering if he wanted to continue giving away so much of what he was thinking, but plowed on despite himself, hoping the dragon would understand his words. "I'm unsure of what our relationship is, friends, acquaintances, so on, but I can't see it lasting if you continued to go into some type of shell whenever you… you feel something that you don't want others to know about."

He hoped he had read the dragon right about this, otherwise he may have just caused a rift between them by misunderstanding. He had always done this when he spoke his mind so casually, thus why doing so now caused him a good amount of dread.

He was both relieved and startled when Fai said, "You're right." The dragon, still unable to look at him, whispered, "I don't know what you expect of me, but you should know that you are right."

"What are you going to do about it?" The human immediately said, not giving himself time to wonder whether this was the best thing he could've asked right now. The lure of getting something more than the normal guarded attitude of the dragon tugged his words forward.

Kurogane noticed Fai's ear twitch and stared fervently at their position pressed back against his head, so that he could remember it and recognize it later.

The dragon inhaled and said. "I'll try."

Kurogane looked at the back of the dragon's head and hoped it meant what he thought it did.

---

After some time of wandering through the crowds Kurogane had been pushed back into the position as dragon-rider, merely for the convenience of it.

Fai had been quite for quite some time, but as the festivities drew on he began to warm into a lulling happiness of which Kurogane hoped was real.

"So…" Kurogane said, as they had been looking at entertainer dragons and merchant dragons for the past half-hour or so. They now seemed to be heading away from the main area of such marvels and into the vast groupings of dragons settled down with neighbors and chatting or eating over the warmth of firelight. They had walked clean through the center of the massive field. "Are we heading anywhere in particular?"

A grin was alit on Fai's face as he turned to Kurogane. "I'm trying to find the group that Syaoran is in." He said. "We shall probably find a lot of friends of mine amongst them. You remember Syaoran, don't you Kuro-pii?"

"How could I forget." Replied the human, temporarily calling a mental truce against the nicknames, although he would rather die than tell the dragon that now and have him abuse it with voracious glee. The boy had nearly scared him to death when he had woken up. If you snuck up on a trained warrior, it was good to do it when he was properly boozed.

"Well, I have no idea how good your memory is." Chirped the dragon, slinking between a cat-eyed black dragon and a dark green dragon that was most obviously very drunk. Ah, no matter what species, parties always contained alcohol of some sort.

Fai's ears perked. "I've spotted them." He said, with childish glee. His speed increased as he now had a definite location goal in mind. Kurogane looked over the top of his ears, balancing on the muscled back with no small amount of difficulty.

He wondered what that fire-eyed boy would look like in his dragon form.

---

Kurogane wanted to groan. Why? Why did he have to make that association? The kid was an actual fire dragon, and the irony was not lost on his overloaded human mind.

The group Fai had been looking for was near the center edge of the clearing. Apparently dragons felt it necessary to always have a fire be at the center of their groups, so Syaoran, the dragon in question, was keeping the wood lit with steamy puffs of hot air and wisps of fire. It made sense in a way. If dragons were as much like snakes and lizards as he thought, then they practically ran off the heat that currently could only be provided by burning wood. It was moving into the cold season after all.

Kurogane had not, however, expected the girl he saved at the tavern to be sitting next to the small fire lizard, her legs bent under her while she sipped from a large steaming cup. She was wearing a silk outfit that mocked that of the dragons, although, had much more to it then a neck band, of course, and he could only guess that she had been here before. He stared at her with the muted shock of someone unable to know how to respond. After a few moments, she must have felt his gaze for she locked gazes with him and gasped.

Rising to he feet she ran over to him and before he knew she was bowing deeply. "Thank you for helping me!" She said, apparently ashamed she had not formally said this early.

Kurogane scratched the back of his head. "Er… It was fine. It wasn't a problem." He said awkwardly. He knew the proper etiquette from his job, but that didn't mean he indulged in it.

Syaoran looked at Sakura with a small frown. "You didn't need to do that." He huffed. "I thanked to him just fine a couple days ago."

The girl looked at him. "Mou! I'm supposed to be the one to thank him! It's me that he saved." She said stubbornly.

The fire dragon huffed again, a small curl of flame on his breath. She glanced at Kurogane, bowed shortly, then hurried back to the dragon's side, attempting to ease his wounded pride.

It was only without the girl in front of him that Kurogane realized he had a flock of curious dragons looking at him and Fai with questions in their eyes.

One of the dragons, a red-brown one wearing a crimson silk band with some black pattern on it spoke up. "I met you!" He proclaimed, turning the curious lizards' attention to him instantaneously.

"As did I!" Said the she-dragon at his side. She was a soft black color with hints of purple alit on her scales. Smooth spikes lay across her neck and he felt that she was probably more formidable a fighter than she was personality-wise.

Fai laughed, pushing the guard forward with his snout. "Well, talk to your friends!" He said.

Kurogane pushed the dragon away with annoyance, but Fai merely laughed again. Talk to what friends he wanted to ask. He then looked up at the semi-towering figures of the dragons in front of him. "So… you've met me?" He asked, wondering who they could be or where he could've met them at. "How long ago?" He asked. It couldn't have been too long could it?

"Oh not too long ago!" The girl replied, laughing in a somewhat sardonic manner. Kurogane flinched, as he tended to do when his thoughts matched someone's words.

The boy rolled his eyes at here and turned his gaze to Kurogane. "My name is Ryuuoh and she's just stupid."

With that she mockingly attempted to claw at him with a slender arm. "No, I'm not!" Turned politely to the human she properly introduced herself. "I'm Nekoi." She said. "I'd shake your hand, but I doubt you'd like it in this form."

Rolling the names over in his head, he realized where he had met them. "At the tavern." He stated, which confused some of the dragons.

Nekoi nodded. "Indeed." She said. "So..." She paused, eyeing the group, "How did that men's brothel thing work out for you?"

Ryuuoh sputtered. "Oh, yeah! It was that guy." He said, eyes wide as if reflecting on some horror long past. Kurogane bit his tongue to keep from giving a biting remark. It was a simple mistake. A horrifying one, but still simple. Besides, he did not want to pick a fight here.

"What guy?" Inquired one of the metal colored dragons. Presumably, this was an act of humor, since all the dragons in the circle knew "what guy" for he was standing in front of them.

Ryuuoh glared at the dragon, but Nekoi waved them off.

Kurogane twitched. "I did not got to a men's brothel!" He proclaimed, as if it should have been obvious. "I was staying at the inn above the tavern."

The girl piqued an eyebrow. "So... you lied to us?"

A warrior and killer Kurogane may have been, a liar he was not. "No! I just didn't want to accept help from strangers for a simple act of kindness."

"What was the help the offered?" Asked a fellow dragon curiously. Sakura looked curiously over as well, Syaoran still slightly huffy, but no worse for wear.

"A place to stay." She stated simply. Now that he thought about it, he wondered what could have happened had he accepted. Would he have been guided that easily into a group of dragons? Thinking back on it, even if that was true, it was most certainly not worth it. Their group didn't have…

Fai looked down at the human in front of him. "So," he mused, "you've ended up with dragons whether you wanted to or not, I supposed."

Kurogane looked up. And up. And up. And finally, leaning backwards dangerously he could see Fai's grin in the firelight. "You could say that, couldn't you." He told him.

---

Of the dragons in the group, not many of them stuck around as the night wore on. Only a few seemed to be comfortable enjoying the company of a limited few. This included the stubborn Syaoran, Sakura, Fai, Nekoi, and a cool-headed dragon named Doumeki.

Ryuuoh and many of the others had wandered off. Fai did, too, at one point, much to Kurogane's distaste. He had tried to follow after, but Fai had shooed him away with his tail, saying that he would be back in just a little while. Kurogane didn't particularly like how that felt, and wished that Fai would go back into human form so that he could have argued the situation a bit more.

However the blue dragon had returned after an hour or so with a delicate platter of meat, cheese, bread, and wine, and somehow all was forgiven.

Fai gently nabbed a slice of bread with his teeth and tossed it into the air, catching it in his mouth. Sakura clapped and Fai bowed his head like a praised performer. He then rested his neck on the ground, head laying a foot away from Kurogane.

Kurogane nibbled idly on a piece of bread, wondering how this town and those inhabiting it and the areas around it always wanted to make him be drunk. He never would have partake in such a mind-killing event when he was back in his home country. He was a proud warrior and he needed to be on guard.

Maybe this was what Tomoyo had meant by "vacation"…

His first urge was to just blame Fai. Somehow it was his fault. And that was all that mattered to his slightly tipsy brain. He decided it might be wise to hold off on the alcohol for the rest of the night.

He absentmindedly begin to stroke the feathery fur plumes on Fai's head, the dragon made a sort of guttural purr and it took Kurogane a moment to realize that, no, Fai was not the family pet Otoori, and he jerked his hand back in surprise. He had the habit of petting the large wolf-hound when he was near, and was disturbed that he had actually done it to something else.

Fai turned his head to look at him, a soft look in his eyes that didn't survive past one blink of the dragon's eyelids. "Awww…" He whined, like a child. "That felt good!"

Kurogane didn't really want to think about those words from the dragon's mouth out of context, and looked away uncomfortably. This failed, however, when Fai butted his head against the human's side. And again. And once more. He relinquished his gaze ever so slightly and humored the dragon with a look from the corner of his eye.

A small animalistic whine came from his throat, as if it would convince Kurogane that he was indeed a family pet that needed to be stroked and hugged.

Sakura laughed from beside Syaoran, who seemed to be engrossed in his discussion with Doumeki over what weapons (in human form) were most useful to hunt with. Currently they were stuck at a debate over hands and feet vs. bow and arrow. Doumeki was a powerful arguer for someone who only spoke a few words at a time, lingering on long comments had he something to say.

Kurogane's attention was soon gained by a new dragon that wandered up, looking irritated and disheveled. Doumeki turned a grunted a short hello, before turning back to Syaoran.

This didn't seem to be the reaction the new dragon, a serpentine body that was even slimmer than Fai's small frame. He had dark scales and small white circles on his snout in front of his eyes that reminded Kurogane of his grandfather's spectacles. His ears were long and pressed back against his head like an angry cat. "Doumeki!" He barked indignantly.

The larger dragon looked at him with what seemed to be disinterest, but Kurogane swore that there was more light in his eyes then when he had been talking to anyone else.

Or, Kurogane was going crazy, of course. That seemed quite possible.

"Where's Himawari-chan!?" Yelped the dragon, a kind of fierce desperate air about him. He reminded him of a man back in his home town who had his wife stolen away by "demons" as he had called them. They had turned out to merely be her parents, his parents-in-law. It was one of the more humorous missions Kurogane had been on as a royal guard in training.

Fai's head raised to Kurogane's sitting level. The guard whispered to Fai, "Is that his mate?"

The dragon laughed shortly and shook his head conspiratorially. "I'm afraid not, no. And it doesn't look like that will be happening at all in Watanuki's future."

"Watanuki?"

"That's his name."

"Oh…"

The dragon didn't seem to hear them, dark shining wings laying across his back like ruffled draping cloths hung up to dry.

Doumeki seemed unfazed by the smaller dragon's anger. "She's not here." He said coolly, his voice deep like the bottom of a riverbed.

The smaller dragon's body shook like a damp cloth, and Kurogane wondered idly if perhaps he was neatly constructed of such a thing. "Where is she?!" He wailed. "I can see very well that she isn't with you!"

Doumeki didn't seem to care about the convulsive nature the other was directing at him. "She is visiting relatives in the north. She said to keep her registered with the group she's currently in."

This seemed to brake Watanuki. "Why?! Himawari-chan should be in our group!" His body rippled like swimming fish and Kurogane internally grinned to himself. This was a wind dragon, there was no doubt in his mind about it.

Sakura seemed drawn to ask, "What group are you going to choose to be in, Watanuki-kun?"

The crestfallen dragon looked up at her from his position on the ground where he was attempting to beat his head in. His attempts looked to be failing and all it gained him was having to crane his neck around Doumeki in order to see the girl and address her question. "I don't know…" He almost sniffled, but didn't. "Himawari-chan's group is already full."

Kurogane looked over at Fai questioningly, and as if the dragon had predicted that, he whispered, "A dragon horde can only contain a maximum of fifteen dragons. Any more becomes far too complicated. Although, they can partner with other groups, I believe…" Kurogane nodded, wondering who exactly kept track of all this if it was so very structured.

Sakura looked wistfully into her tea, then back at Watanuki. "Why don't you join our group!" She asked, a light smile on her face.

Syaoran, who seemed to have taken up the role as her dragon guardian, or so it appeared to Kurogane, looked at her skeptically. "You live with your family in the town, are you sure you're allowed to invite others into our clan?" He asked.

The girl shrugged. "I don't know why I wouldn't be, it can't do us any harm since we never have more then ten."

The fire dragon huffed, directing his irritation to furthering the growth of the center fire.

Watanuki had been watching this display curiously. "Well…" He began, somewhat at a loss. "I suppose I will join unless something happens and I find another group."

Fai laughed and Kurogane looked at him questioningly. The dragon saw this and became quite apologetic, "They way he said that sounded funny. Like he would do with them if he couldn't find better." He whispered.

The dragon in question's ear twitched and looked over with a mild scowl. "I didn't mean that…" He rebutted.

Doumeki paused from watching the exchange to look at Sakura. "May I join your group as well?" He asked, politely.

She clapped her hands together and Syaoran grinned ever so slightly, hiding it before the girl next to him caught him in his excitement. "Of course!" She said.

Nekoi, who had stayed quite silent during this, a calm sleepiness overtaking her, rose and stretched before shaking some stray bits of grass off. "I'm going to go look for the group I plan on joining." She told them. "I hope everything goes well for you Watanuki-kun!" She chirped. Fai and the others bid her a goodnight and even Kurogane gave a small wave. Then she disappeared, slinking into the sea of inky darkness and dragons illuminated only by firelight.

Watanuki, abashedly laying stomach up from his earlier fit, rolled over and shook the plant life from his head. A leaf caught between his ear and a spike and he shook his head madly to get it off, reminding Kurogane of a puppy that hadn't figured out how to scratch be its ear yet.

Doumeki skillfully nabbed the leaf off of him and discarded it on the ground.

"I could have done that myself!" The slim dragon barked, looked outraged.

"Okay." Said Doumeki, not exactly revealing whether or not he thought this was true as his tone was rather flat. Although, Watanuki's flailing lead Kurogane to believe that the dragon must have interpreted it as a clear action of doubt.

Behind him, Kurogane heard Fai shuffled, and soon the dragon had sidled up beside him allowing more than just his head to be in the circle due to the increase of room from the departure of others. "So…" Fai began, waiting to gain the others' attentions. This worked for all except Watanuki, who seemed to be in his own world at the moment. Fai continued anyway. "We have a new human in our group!" He announced, as if Kurogane had only just appeared. "Coming all the way from the glorious majesties of the Winden Country, dutifully kidnapped from the towns, and not only set free, but allowed to be claimed worthy as to the joining of the dragons, is Kuro-nyah!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" The human in question yelped, ready to very well pounce the dragon and beat him over the head. He was pretty sure he couldn't win this scrap so he bitterly accepted venting he anger on the tiny blades of grass in front of him instead.

The others clapped and wooed to various extents, and Kurogane noticed that this seemed to be unsurprising to them. He grimly wondered what was about to happen that would illicit that response.

Fai dramatically swooped his head around, resting it back in a curve, head aligned with the beginning of his body. "So, we shall henceforth play One Hundred and One Sentient Questions!" Sakura cheered, Syaoran nodded in favor, Watanuki looked somewhat charmed by the idea, and Doumeki grunted in agreement.

Kurogane noticed some other dragons nearby who had overheard the announcement shift a little closer, and he wondered exactly how popular this game was that it would even gain eavesdroppers.

"So, what is this game and what does it have to do with me?" Grunted Kurogane, not liking being the center of attention, especially when it was in jest.

The group seemed to take on a sinister look and the human wouldn't have been entirely surprised is the whole circle began grinning at him laughing with a soft "Ku, ku, ku…"

"Well…" Began Watanuki, sliding his tail underneath his chin and leaning on it. "It's a game that is usually played with the addition of humans to the festival."

"Our group two years ago played it with Sakura." Added Syaoran with a small semblance of pride at having participated before.

Fai circled his head around to face Kurogane and it reminded the human quite distinctly of a snake. Well, except for the ears. "It is a way to lead new members of the human variety away from their false believing of dragons by answering any and every question the human can come up and expounding the truths or falsehoods of the answer."

Kurogane mused this. It didn't seem like a bad idea at all, despite his reluctance to be in such a game. If he could learn more about the dragons he could also possibly figure out which group Fai belonged to. If not then he could ask more of the curious, and potentially awkward questions that had been nibbling away at his mind.

"So!" Said Fai. "The rules are as follows!"

The others waited intently, ready to greedily absorb them.

"Rule number one, no one is allowed to tell Kurogane what type of dragon I am. We're having a guessing game and he has to figure it out all on his lonesome." Fai told them. Sakura giggled and Syaoran stared at Fai questioningly. Doumeki nodded casually while Watanuki nodded fiercely, as if he were taking in battle information on an enemy in a life or death situation. Kurogane wondered what it was like to have such dramatic emotions.

"Rule number two," continued Fai, "we are required to answer his questions to the best of our abilities." Kurogane wondered if that meant they were able to avoid answering questions by means of laughing too hard or being too uncomfortable with the answer. Those things would infringe on their ability if the logic was used that way. It probably did mean that, knowing Fai…

"Rule number three," with this Fai looked pointedly at Kurogane, "you are not to ask extremely personal questions. Your curiosities will only be valid as applying to dragons or dragon breeds as a whole." Kurogane refused to show it, but this addition disappointed him a little. He might have been able to get some really good information out of Fai without it.

"Final rule!" Crowed Fai, capturing the circle's rapt interest. "If Kurogane can manage to ask one hundred and one questions by the end of the night, he wins." Kurogane doubted he could ask that many, but remained silent. He won with every piece of information he gained or so he figured.

The dragons cheered in their own unique ways; Sakura laughing and clapping her hands, Syaoran agreeing with accidental tiny excited puffs of flame and smoke, Doumeki nodded and grunting in affirmation, and Watanuki grinning like an idiot for no reason other than getting to partake in such a rare game.

"Alright. Game start!" Announced Fai.

Kurogane was taken aback when all the dragons--and Sakura--turned to face him eagerly, awaiting any and every question that could spill forth from his lips.

He decided to start with something basic that he had been wondering about for a while. He held out his right hand, showing the moonlit marking. "What does this mean and what, exactly, is a fighting dragon?" He asked.

The other dragons looked at the symbol with a small amount of awe. Doumeki turned to Fai. "You took him to see a registered initiator already?" He asked.

Fai nodded. "Indeed. He saw Yuuko-san just this afternoon."

Syaoran nudged Sakura with his snout. "Do you want to show him you're marking?"

The girl looked confused for a second, before what he was saying dawned on him and she nodded. "Okay."

Kurogane watched her walk around the camp fire and took off a one of her white gloves. He hadn't noticed her wearing them for the distance she was previously at, and he wondered idly if she was wearing them to cover the markings from unwanted viewers and if he would end up doing to same…

Her design was a pale white-pink, less fierce in glow than his. It was of a gently curved dragon around a flower. "I was labeled best as a nature dragon." She said, blushing from the intensity of which Kurogane studied the marking.

It fit her, he decided.

"Thank you for showing it to me." He said, acknowledging that he may have been honored somehow by being able to see it.

She nodded and wandered back over to the fire-breather. It looked as if she was sitting closer to him now than before and Kurogane speculated on whether it was intentional or not.

"I work with Yuuko-san." Said Watanuki, taking up the temporary role of speaker. "Those markings come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The brightness level usually shows your emotional strength, although sometimes it can apply to purity of spirit and mind. It is different for everyone and no two are the same. Although, it always seems to make sense and just fit well when you know the person to a certain level and see their marking. There isn't really and reason for it."

Doumeki took over, seeing Watanuki had finished. "As far as dragon species go there are many types of fighting." Ignoring the Watanuki's grumbling about being overshadowed by the larger dragon, Doumeki studied the symbol on Kurogane's outstretched hand. "Your's appears to be some kind of guardian dragon. The shape of the tail blade is a protectorate symbol. The ferocity of the dragon means that it does it well."

"Hyuu!" Cooed Fai. "Kurogane has worked as a royal guard for a princess in his country." Said Fai.

Kurogane shrugged. "Makes sense, I suppose…" He said, staring at the symbol. Hell, it made more then sense, it was who he was!

A silence fell over the group. The fire seemed to dwindle and Syaoran quickly grabbed a log with his tail from a pile somewhere behind him and threw it into the flames. He blew on it to work it higher, before leaning back when satisfied with its size.

"Next question?" Asked Fai, looking at Kurogane curiously.

"Can all dragons fly? And if not, which can?" He said. He knew that some dragons didn't have wings, like Fai and Watanuki did, but in some of the legends from the east that hadn't been necessary to that ability.

"No." Said Fai. "Not all dragons can fly."

Watanuki brandished his lengthy silk-like wings. "Nearly all dragons require wings to fly. However, some of the more snake like ones use a type of scale formation to capture wind, which creates enough floatation to be able to… snake through wind currents. They are often not able to do sharp turns or some of the more complex flight dynamics of wing-carriers, though." He rested his wing, grinning smugly to himself for being so knowledgeable.

Doumeki snorted. "If you grin like that, your jaw will be paralyzed like that."

"What do you know!" Veered the slim dragon. "Is it from experience? Did your face stick the way it is now? I bet it did." He stuck out his forked tongue childishly. Doumeki seemed entirely uninterested in it all.

"Calm down, Wata-kun." Fai said. The dragon instantly righted himself into a more professional stance and if he was bothered by the abbreviation of his name he didn't show it.

Sakura put her cup on the ground, emptied by time and thirst. "What is your next question?" She asked Kurogane, head tilted cutely. The fellow human wasn't sure, but he thought he might have seen Syaoran swoon, if only for a fraction of a second.

…So the dragon was most certainly in love with the girl. There was no room for question in his mind about that particular pair.

"Uh…" Kurogane said, feeling instantaneously stupid for not having something better to say. "What type of dragon are you Watanuki…-san."

The dragon looked at him curiously, then pointed the same expression at Fai. The blue dragon nodded. "You can answer questions about your species, it is only mine that is off limits."

The silky dragon nodded understandingly. "I," he began proudly, "am a northern wind dragon!" He puffed his wings gently and small gusts of cold air breezed from them.

"Hey!" Syaoran snapped, guarding the withering fire with his tail and replenishing it with his breath.

The dark dragon stopped, looking sheepish. "Ah… sorry." He turned back to Kurogane, head craned back. "Why do you ask?"

Kurogane shrugged. "I had guessed you were of that type. I felt that it was worth it to use a question to see if I was right."

The verified wind dragon looked at him, ego stroked. "It was that obvious?" He asked, excitedly.

"You are very blustery." Said Doumeki.

Watanuki's ego popped like a lonely, little bubble. "Hey! I never asked you-!"

Fai looked between the two, as if ready to split then up, then decided against it. "You can't use any of your questions to ask me that without using any of your two remaining." He told Kurogane warningly.

"I hadn't thought I would be able to…" Combated the human. Then he paused, wanting not to be prompted into question-asking. "How long do dragons live?" He asked.

The circle grew quiet, each thoughtfully constructing how they would answer. Syaoran, this time, was the first to answer. "Well…" He began. "It differs a bit between species." He said, sounding quite embarrassed at the circle's attentiveness. "Most dragons could live to be a thousand years old. However, many die after about five-hundred years… either from dark-heart of human hunters."

"Dark-heart?" Kurogane asked. He felt that this may have been the wrong path to take, for the dragons seemed rather grim.

"Well… it's kind of a disease that becomes more powerful with age. Deceit and anger and treachery wrap themselves around a dragon's heart. Eventually… if the dragon is weak enough to it… they turn completely wild and rampage fellow dragons and humans alike."

"It's what many human tales about dragons are made up of." Supplied Doumeki.

Fai smiled dourly. "It's a shame to a family name and a fear to many dragons to have that happen to themselves. Thus it has been of recent years that if dragons begin to feel like they are gaining such symptoms and are verified to have them by a magic-user, they often kill themselves." Fai frowned. "It is the main reason why dragon attacks on humans has lessened so much so that they've thankfully forgotten us. But it doesn't make it any less hard."

The quiet of the group made Kurogane realize something. Every one of these dragons had gone through this with someone they knew. Probably even relatives. "I'm… I apologize for asking such a thing." He said, bowing his head.

Fai hit him lightly in the back of his head with his tail. "We're here to answer your questions." He said, smiling reassuringly.

---

The human stared at the lingering night sky. It was the longest night of the year, and even longer with the dragons. The moon and the magic of the more skilled dragons cast a spell over the field, slowing time down without slowing the ones within it. So the night was much longer than he had expected, stretching more than twice as long as normal. The game had gone on for hours before he had noticed the moon wasn't even halfway in the sky.

The dragons had laughed when he had asked about it--well, mostly Fai, but the thought remained. It seemed to them so natural and normal that it was forgotten that others didn't know of such things.

Kurogane felt indeed a wiser man after asking every and any question he could think of and being politely answered--and sometimes laughed at--by the dragon circle, even though he didn't exactly have enough questions to win. For instance, he had found out that when having gatherings such as this, this circle of dragons is actually called a ring and anything less than a full circle is called a string as long as it is two dragons or more long.

When scrambling for questions he had found out that Syaoran was officially called a Golden Ember dragon, Doumeki was a Silver Blade dragon and one of the types of fighting dragons which explained his apparent knowledge of them, and Watanuki was a White Wind dragon. And in asking about such names Sakura had laughed, claiming that she had asked why the name was in a color-element format as well. The dragons had merely said that it just was, and only if they had lived thousands of years would they know as to why that was.

He had learned that dragons choose mates and solidify the pairing by marking each other with the longest left tooth and three of the nearby smaller ones, creating a dabbled crescent. He had learned that dragon eggs were only the size of his two fists and baby dragons grew at a rate that would be alarming to any human, however stopped at stages and lingered there for months to years before a new growth period.

The information flew from their mouths like doves and Kurogane was the keeper of every single one. He felt a small welling of pride at beholding such marvelous thoughts, secrets, rituals, and facts.

He wondered if perhaps it was the food that made him feel giddy or the overwhelming presence of magic in the air. He was certain that come morning he would be back to sniping at the foolish actions of Fai. And whatever group they were to form in the later half of the night he was sure would probably grate on his nerves. Probably. He hoped desperately that Mokona found some other group to trade into. He wondered on Kyle and Souma, and while they weren't exactly friends, he had known them and made that relationship.

It was now entering the second half and all were curled up for a quick nap before the official registration. And when it was described as all, it was not merely limited to their group. Rings and strings and flurries of other dragons rested their heads and hearts for a couple hours, feeling out how comfortable they felt with the others they had presumably chosen to pack with for the next year.

Sakura was fast asleep, leaning against Syaoran although Kurogane was sure she didn't mean to. Watanuki had fallen asleep as well, despite his resounding pledge to never, ever, ever fall asleep before Doumeki. Ten minutes later that pledge had been seen to failure, and Kurogane swore he had seen Doumeki smirk, if ever in the slightest, before relinquishing part of his consciousness to the yearly ritual.

Fai was staring into the fire, blue eyes flickering orange because of it. The air of the night was heavy and Kurogane heavily suspected that the reason falling asleep was so easy was because of some type of magic. Even he was feeling the drowsy effects of it.

He fought to keep his eyes open, refusing just as futilely as Watanuki had against Doumeki, to not fall asleep before Fai had.

It didn't work, however, and the last thing he saw before the world faded away into an inky darkness was an amused glace from Fai.

Later he swore that even in sleep he had cursed himself for doing that.

---


End file.
